The Time Child: Aftermath
by DanniFielding
Summary: The Doctor married River Song, just like he promised he wouldn't. It stopped the drumming in Danni's head but has left her heartbroken and silent. Will he be able to keep her in his life now that Mr Saxon has finally arrived? Third in the Time Child Trilogy. 11/OC, slight 10/OC and 9/OC if you squint REALLY hard.
1. Christmas

_Hello Everyone! Guess who's back? XD Welcome to the Third Time Child story, imaginatively called The Time Child: Aftermath. Because I couldn't come up with anything else. I'm sooo creative like that :P_

_To understand what's happening, I would recommend reading the first two parts of this trilogy - The Time Child and The Time Child: Insanity Calling. It'll give you a better idea of what is going on with my OC, Danni Fielding. Or you can jump straight into this one, whatever floats your boat :)_

_This chapter is more of one of them prologues where nothing will make sense until later on in the story, but I like to do stuff like that. So, enjoy :)_

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor took a deep breath as he stared at the TARDIS blue front door with a wreath hanging on it before raising his hand and knocking on it, feeling slightly more nervous than he should have done. Of course they'd be mad, but they'd be happy to see him, right?

"If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol!" Amy's angry voice came from behind the door and he knocked again, "You don't want to be all wet," The door flung open to reveal Amy in a festive jumper, pointing a bright yellow water pistol directly at him, "on a night like this..." She trailed off at the sight of her Raggedy Man stood there. Must be the shock of him coming back from the dead, he could understand that.

"Not absolutely sure..." He started slowly after a long pause, "how long..."

"Two years?" Amy supplied before pulling the trigger, squirting him in the face. He grimaced as the cold liquid hit his chin and he wiped it away.

"OK. Fair point." He conceded.

"So... You're not dead." Amy stated and he grinned, chucking his hands in the air slightly.

"And a happy New Year!" He cried and they stared at each other before Amy leant closer.

"River told us." He pouted, well that explains why Amy didn't scream for Rory. Or why she hadn't seemed too shocked he was on her doorstep to begin with.

"Well, of course she did." He grumbled.

"She's a good girl." They both stood in silence, staring each other down, "Well? I'm not going to hug first." Amy pointed out angrily.

"Nor am I." He turned to look down the street at the snowflakes falling from the sky. It was nice to see an actual white Christmas on Earth for once. He glanced up at Amy, who pointedly looked down at the water pistol as if she was contemplating squirting him again. He hoped not. They continued to ignore each other very badly until the corners of his mouth twitched upwards and they were hugging each other tightly, Amy laughing in delight.

"Mr Pond! Guess who's coming for dinner!" She called over her shoulder, Rory appearing from the kitchen and faking being surprised.

"Whoa! Not dead, then." He said and Amy batted his shoulder.

"We've done that." Rory rolled his eyes with a smile, of course they had, "We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us?" She asked the Doctor who nodded.

"If it's no trouble." He replied.

"There's a place set for you." Rory pointed out and the Doctor frowned in confusion.

"But you didn't know I was coming. Why would you set me a place?"

"Because we always do." Amy reluctantly admitted, "It's Christmas, you moron." She snapped, sounding annoyed but really just embarrassed as she turned and walked into the house.

"Come on." Rory told him with a nod of his head before following his wife into the kitchen. The Doctor paused at the doorway, one hand in the other as he thought about what they'd just done. They'd waited for him. They'd invited him into their home, their family and waited until he was ready to join them. He stepped in, shocked and touched as he reached up to his cheek, feeling a happy tear slide down his face. Well, he couldn't remember the last time that had happened. He'd not had much to be happy about of late, but this was perfect. The only thing missing from this moment was...

"Amy!" A voice called as she stepped out from the living room off to the side, "Did you scare them awa..." He stared in shock as Danni stopped in front of him wearing, unusually, an emerald green dress. It was multi-layered, swimming around her bare legs with a tight top and thin spaghetti straps. Her hair was pulled off her face, clipped to one side with a little green bow that matched the one tied around her waist. He smiled, _now_ it was perfect and he stepped towards her, only for his hearts to freeze as she stepped back from him.

"Danni-Girl?" He whispered and she shook her head, stepping away from him again. She knew when this was, Amy and Rory thought he was dead, which meant this is him just after The Wedding. She never thought she'd see him so close to it, that memory was still as raw in her mind as the day it happened and to see the Doctor who had made that choice?

"No." She stated lowly, turning and striding through living room, towards the doorway to the kitchen at the other end. He quickly followed her as she surprised both Amy and Rory.

"You told me he wasn't coming." She snapped at the pair, both of them looking away in guilt.

"We know, but..." Rory started but the Doctor stepped in front of her.

"They should have told you I wasn't dead." He told her gently, "I'm surprised you don't remember, actually."

"Oh, I knew you weren't dead." She snapped angrily, glaring up at him, "I was there, remember? Giant shape-shifting robot? You were inside the entire time? I'm not completely moronic, you know?"

"Then I don't understand, why didn't they tell you I might turn up?"

"They told me you weren't going to come." She corrected, "In fact, Amy swore it would be next year, so I wouldn't have to see you."

"In fairness," Amy piped up, "I didn't think you'd show up with her here." He spun on his heels, still completely confused. What on Earth was happening, "I mean, we're very glad you _are_ here, but... you know... with everything that happened."

"I don't understand." He told them bluntly, "What did I miss?"

"It doesn't matter." Danni told him, "I'm not staying. I'm going to ring Jack, he'll pick me up in no time. Amy, phone." Amy sighed and pulled out her mobile, placing it into Danni's waiting hand. She turned to storm out of the room again, almost shaking in rage and the Doctor grabbed her by the arm. Amy winced at the mistake even before Danni had spun around and slapped him hard, sending his face to one side. He reached up, slowly, covering the red mark as he stared at her like a wounded puppy.

"Don't touch me." She hissed, "You don't get to touch me, Doctor." Immediately she felt bad, but the anger she felt at seeing him made her straighten, proud at her actions. Sometimes she felt like she'd come to terms with it, but sometimes she still felt so betrayed she couldn't help what she said. They'd worked past it, he'd explained time and time again and more than made up for it, but after seeing The Master again, it was like she had to deflect that sorrow somewhere.

"Danni, please." He whispered, "What's happened?" She barked out a harsh laugh.

"Oh, don't play the fool." She bit out, "You may have younger Danni's in your future, but this one," She motioned down to herself, "This one's a bit too late. I was there, Doctor." He frowned, still not understanding, "I was there, and I meant it. I will never forgive you for marrying River." His eyes widened in realisation, his hearts crumbling as she held up the phone, "And you know, neither will Jack. Once I've rung him to pick me up, he won't be long because he doesn't want me here with you either. Have fun with your in-laws, Time Lord." She spat out his race and he almost staggered backwards as she left the room. He fell back against the counter top as Rory sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I'll go talk to her." He said before leaving the room. Amy rubbed the Doctor's arm as he stared after his Danni-Girl, devastated by the cold hard look she'd shot him as she left. She didn't love him anymore, did she? He'd hoped with time... but no, he'd drove her away.

"She's just upset." Amy reassured him before pulling him in for a hug. Unlike the one before, he didn't even try to hug her back, just closed his eyes to stop the distinctly unhappy tears running down his cheeks, "Why did you do it?" Amy had to ask, because she didn't understand, no one did. She'd even asked River, who had told her she had to do it to save Danni, but between the two of them surely there could have been a better way. She loved Melody a lot, which still surprised her considering she was also River Song and Mels all at the same time, but anyone with a brain cell could see how much he adored Danni.

"I had to save her. She would have died, even if we'd managed to start time again without being shot by the space suit, she would have died. I needed River to touch me so I could save her. I couldn't think of another way and I was running out of time." He sighed, rubbing his eyes, "She would always go on about me marrying River, but I thought it was that noise in her head driving her paranoia, but when it came down to it, that was what happened."he turned to Amy, forcing a smile on his face, "She can hate me, because she's safe." Amy rolled her eyes at him, he was so melodramatic.

"Oh, come here you moron." She sighed, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the other doorway to the kitchen, where they could see Danni and Rory in the hallway. They were whispering to each other, Danni looking like she was about to start screaming while Rory was calmly trying to reason with her. Suddenly she collapsed into tears, Rory pulling her into an awkward hug, "She doesn't hate you. That's the point." Amy whispered to him, "You just hurt her badly and seeing you reminds her of that. She's angry because she doesn't want you to see her cry because she's sad." He watched Rory gently rub her back as Danni sobbed into his chest. He pushed himself away from his Amelia and over to the pair, pulling her out of Rory's arms and hugging her close.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair as he held her tightly, stopping her as she tried to get away from him, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Let me go." She sobbed, "Please, Spaceman, just let me go." She didn't deserve him comforting her, she never did. It was worse than the anger, the forgiveness.

"Never." He swore, "I'm never going to let you go and I'm never going to stop making it up to you."

"I don't want you to make it up to me." She retorted, "I wanted you to not marry River. All you had to do was make her touch you, why did you have to marry her?" He pulled back, holding onto both her arms and he smiled down at her.

"You really don't see it, do you?" He asked and she frowned angrily.

"Are you really making fun of me right now?" she sniffed and he shook his head.

"No." He promised her, "I had to show her I'd do anything for you. She needed to see that I'd do anything to save you that even something as important as marriage wouldn't stop me. I was showing her that she had to kill me, because I needed her to save you."

"There are better ways of going about it." She told him and he nodded.

"You're right." He conceded, "but I was desperate and you..." He looked her up and down, gulping as he finally took her outfit in, "You... yowzah." He settled on, running his hand through his hair and suddenly feeling rather flushed. She blushed slightly as his eyes widened, "Have you always been wearing that dress?" He asked, his voice squeaking slightly and Amy rolled her eyes.

"Oh Lord." She sighed, stepping forward and pulling a confused Rory away from the pair, "Come on, you."

"Wait, are they still fighting?" Rory asked as Amy pulled him into the kitchen. Danni bit her lip, looking down at the dress and nodding.

"Yeah." She replied hesitantly, "I don't know if I like it. It might be too green for me." The Doctor shook his head.

"No. Not too green." He cupped her face, torn between wanting to make sure she was okay and wanting to kiss her senseless. She looked down at the floor.

"I'm still really upset." She whispered and he nodded.

"I don't blame you." He replied, letting his hand fall to his side, "Do you want me to go?" She shook her head, "Do you still want to ring Jack?" She shook her head again, "What can I do to make it better, then?" He asked, willing to try anything.

"I want you to kiss me." She murmured and he smiled, suddenly seeing how annoyed she was at herself. She looked up, deep into his eyes, "I want to kiss you. I want to wipe any memory of Melody Pond's lips out of your memory. But at the same time I want you to suffer and not have me kiss you for ages, because you so obviously want me to right now."

"I do." He freely admitted, "How about I do one little thing that might change your mind?" She frowned, suspicious but nodded once, watching him very carefully as he reached into his jacket pocket, rummaging around with his tongue sticking out of his mouth until he proudly pulled out a piece of mistletoe. He held it above his head, smirking and she laughed at his cheek.

"Fine." She surrendered, reaching up and pulling him into a kiss. He dropped the piece of foiliage, wrapping her up in his arms and not letting her go. She felt herself melt into his embrace, having missed the closeness between them but also needing to make sure he knew exactly how angry she was. She pulled away, looking up at him seriously.

"I'm still angry about it." She told him and he nodded, reaching up and cupping her cheek, "But I'm not as angry as I was. You'll meet much angrier versions of me."

"I remember that." He told her, "With Hitler." She giggled.

"Oh yeah. I forgot the Roman put Hitler in a cupboard." They both smiled fondly at each other, it was nice to be at a point they could share memories. With her jumping around, sometimes they just hadn't been to places or on adventures the other had.

"I will always try and make it up to you." He promised, taking her hand and bringing it to his chest, "Not just for marrying River, but for asking you like I did. One day, I will finally make it okay."

"Oh, I know you will." She told him with a smile and he glanced down at the hand he was holding, a large grin appearing on his face, "And one day I hope you'll forgive me too." She replied and he frowned before seeing the slightly haunted look pass across her face, a painful memory sitting on the forefront of her mind.

"He was lucky to hold part of you for a little while." He replied, "But you're mine for the rest of time, Danni-Girl. I'm holding on and I am never letting go." And with that, he pulled her back in for another kiss.


	2. The Corvette

Amy glanced down at the map as she and Rory flew through the middle of the corn field. This seemed like such a good idea at the time, but as Rory spun the wheel and she went flying into the door of the Mini she decided next time she'd stay at home.

"OK, left, sharp turn!" She exclaimed and Rory jerked the stering wheel around, causing her to slam into him as they crossed over where they'd just been, squashing the corn stalks down as they sped along, "OK, right! No, no, no I mean left." Was she even holding the map the right way? She turned up around and it made slightly more sence, "No, sorry right, right! I definitely meant right. Now loop the loop!" They spun around as Rory did what his wife told him, finishing the pattern they were trying to draw in the field, "Stop! Stop!" He slammed on the breaks, coming to an abrupt stop. They both climbed out to see the Doctor in the middle of the crop circle they had just made, leaning against the TARDIS in a brand new jacket. He was holding a newspaper and held it up to show the pair.

"Seriously?" He exclaimed, referring the the fact that the crop circle described in the main headline read 'Doctor'.

"You never answer your phone." Rory replied, slamming the door shut as Amy approached the Doctor, face searching his for answers.

"OK, you've had all summer. Have you found her? Have you found Melody?" She begged. The Doctor looked over her head at Rory, passing him the newspaper.

"Permission?" Rory nodded.

"Granted." The Doctor pulled her into a hug, squeezing his Amelia tightly.

"You know who she grows up to be, so you know I WILL find her." He told her gently but Amy pulled back.

"But you haven't yet?" He shot her an apologetic look, "There's something else we should tell you. It's about..."

"Hang on, what's this bit?" Rory interrupted them, holding up the newspaper. The word 'Doctor', the picture on another page, now had a line running through the middle of it.

"That wasn't us." Amy remarked as the Doctor snatched the paper off of Rory. He walked around, holding it up in air as he tried to work out where the line originated from. They paused as the sound of another engine began revving towards them. They looked up to see a red sports car speeding towards them. The trio screamed in unison and dived out of the way, Rory and Amy heading one way and the Doctor the other towards the TARDIS. The Corvette screeched to a stop centimetres from the Doctor's face and a young black woman stepped out, wearing a pink and black dress, tights and knee-high boots. She looked down at him, crossing her arms and smirking.

"You said he was funny, you never said he was hot."

"Mels?" Rory exclaimed angrily as the two Ponds rushed over to make sure the Doctor was okay.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked her.

"Following you, what do you think?" Mels replied, as if it was obvious why she'd turned up out of the blue. The Doctor pushed himself up using the car, slightly unsteady on his gangly legs. The girl was new, so he was intrigued, but she also had tried to kill him with a car, so he was torn.

"Um, where did you get the car?" Rory asked, dreading the answer as she shrugged.

"It's mine..." She trailed off slightly as the police sirens wailed in the distance, "..ish."

"Oh, Mels, not again?" Amy asked, more resigned than surprised. She'd been like this throughout their childhood, the girl just didn't want to play by anyone's rules but her own.

"You can't keep doing this. You'll end up in prison." Rory pointed out.

"Oh leave her alone!" Another voice cried out in exasperation, "It was my idea." The passenger door opened on the Corvette and another girl climbed out. The Doctor's jaw fell as Danni eyed the crowd, "You two are just so boring these days." The Doctor stepped slightly closer to her, looking her up and down in confusion. Her red hair had gone, replaced by a browny blonde pulled back with a headband, the bangs loosely flowing around her face. She wore short denim shorts with tights underneath, a black tank-top on top with a military green jacket on top of that.

"Danni?" He breathed and she stepped back from him.

"What?" She snapped in reply, "Miss me?" She turned to Mels, "The police were right behind us."

"Sorry, hello, Doctor not following this. Doctor very lost." He exclaimed, forcing her to turn around and face him, "What's going on? Why are you blonde?"

"I fancied a change." She replied, "Mels suggested it. She said the best way to get over your _ex_ was to have a makeover. Didn't you, sweetie?"

"If your old man dumps you, nothing makes you feel better than a new haircut." Mels called over as she approached the TARDIS.

"Ex?" The Doctor repeated quietly and Danni glared at him.

"You tell me." She snapped before heading over to her new friend, hooking her thumbs into the back pockets of her shorts.

"So this is the phone box?" Mels asked and Danni nodded, "The bigger-on-the-inside phone box?" She reached out, feeling it as if to make sure the box actually existed, "Time travel - that's just brilliant."

"If you're going to do it, do it in style." Danni agreed, stroking the outside of the TARDIS, "Did you miss me, Old Girl?" She asked gently, smiling fondly and making Mels frown in jealousy. She wasn't supposed to be happy, she was supposed to be happy _with her._

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about you." Mels declared, turning to face the Doctor who was eying the pair, confused and a bit suspicious, "I'm Danni-Girl's new best mate. Especially since you got off with that old..." She frowned and looked at Danni, who was still smiling at the TARDIS, feeling the box humming happily, "What's the name of his new missus?" Danni glanced at the Doctor out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh? River." Danni responded pointedly and Mels nodded, seeing the smile fall from her face. Good, the Doctor should make her angry, not happy. The Doctor tensed, had she just been with a version of him that married River? That couldn't be right! He wouldn't let that be right!

"Yeah, that's right."

"Mels said if she ever sees River she's gonna kill her." Danni continued, "Didn't you sweetie?" Mels nodded.

"I did. But we have other plans first." She finished.

"Who are you?" He asked the new girl, eerily calm as Amy and Rory glanced at each other. They had wanted time to warn him about the 'new' Danni but evidently Mels hadn't wanted that to happen. She had become pretty possessive of Danni since the moment she had arrived, though no one could tell why she had decided to attach herself to the no-longer-ginger woman, "I should. I know everyone in Amy and Rory's life. Why are you trying to turn my Danni-Girl against me?" Mels stalked over, her smirk hardening angrily.

"She's my Danni-Girl now." She stated.

"The cops, Mels." Danni called and Mels nodded. Danni walked over, standing next to Mels and eyeing the Doctor coldly.

"And that's us out of time." In unison Mels reached into her waistcoat and Danni into her jacket. They both pulled out guns and pointed them directly at the Doctor, cocking them threateningly.

"Danni!" Amy exclaimed.

"For God's sake, Mels!" Rory shouted angrily, believing Amy's friend to be the sole reasoning behind Danni's sudden change in character.

"What are you doing?" Amy continued.

"We need to get out of here. Now." Danni reasoned with them.

"Anywhere in particular?" The Doctor asked, his hands in the air for lack of anything better to do. He should go along with Danni, he needed to get her away from this 'Mels' and try and find out what had actually happened to make her like this. Maybe it was brainwashing, or maybe that noise in her head was confusing her. That was it, she must still have the drumming. He needed a chance to reason with her.

"Well, let's see! You've got a time machine," Mels started.

"We've got guns." Danni pointed out.

"What the hell," Mels shrugged, "Let's kill Hitler."

_~0~0~0~_

"It's only been two weeks." Rory reasoned, following Amy into their kitchen, carrying the majority of the shopping bags, "For the Doctor, that's barely an hour."

"I know." Amy replied as she followed him in, "But it's our daughter, Rory. Our Melody. I thought he might have been on time, for once." Rory placed his bags on the floor, ready to unpack them in a moment before walking over to his wife, taking the couple of bags out of her hands and pulling her into a hug, which she returned tightly.

"He's looking." Rory told her firmly, "He won't ever stop looking. Danni promised that he would find out what happened to her, so we have to believe her."

"But she didn't even tell us it was a flesh baby." Amy pointed out.

"She was working off River's orders." Rory replied, still finding it very difficult to associate River and his baby Melody. He knew he would, but he hadn't even known Amy was pregnant to begin with and it was all a bit of a shock, "River wouldn't tell her not to say anything if it wasn't important. Why wouldn't she not want to be saved?" Amy nodded into Rory's shoulder and they stood in each others arms for a few moments longer.

"It seems," A small voice whimpered, "I've come at a bad time." They both jumped, alarmed and spun to see Danni leaning against their refrigerator, arms wrapped around her knees and she obviously had been crying for a while. She looked up at them, tears streaming down her face as she rocked slightly, "I'm sorry I can't save Melody. I... I'm so sorry." She started sobbed lightly and Amy walked over, dropping down by her and placing a hand on her arm gently.

"Danni? What's wrong? Are you with the Doctor? Did he find Melody?" Danni shook her head, letting her head fall forward slightly.

"No, I've not done that yet." She whimpered, "He's not with me anymore." Amy frowned and turned to Rory, who looked just as confused, "I had Ten drop me off at Jack's, and Jack brought me here. I didn't want to be with him anymore." She hadn't. At first she thought being with Ten would be alright, but as much as each body was a separate entity, they were all ultimately the same Doctor who broke her heart. He'd understood, even kept apologising for his next incarnation but she had just wanted him to stop. Although, in the back of her head, she thought it might have been another reason he tried not to regenerate back when the Earth had been moved by the Daleks. So he didn't become Eleven.

"Then, where have you been?" Rory asked, wondering why she was so upset. She had been crying for a while, they'd only been back a couple minutes so it can't have been because of what they had been saying.

"On the top of a pyramid." She whispered. Neither of them knew what that meant, so Amy shifted so she was sat next to her.

"And what happened there?" She pressed.

"He marries River." She stated before her sobbing increased and she held her face in her hands. Amy's mouth dropped and Rory looked just as shocked, neither of them thinking it would actually happen. Amy saw Danni's fingers tapping lightly on the side of her head and placed her hand over hers to stop it.

"Are you still hearing the drumming?" she asked gently and Danni shook her head.

"It's so quiet." Danni whispered, "Why would he do that to me?" Amy didn't really know what to say, so she wrapped an arm around her and helped her stand up.

"Come on, let's get you a cup of tea." She suggested gently, walking her to the living room as Rory put the kettle on.

_~0~0~0~_

She couldn't even begin to describe what it was like to have silence running through her head. It was painless and painful at the same time. So loud and yet so quite, sometimes everything around her echoed like the worlds worst hangover and sometimes the silence was all-consuming she couldn't hear people talking to her. She spent a lot of her time _not_ thinking about the Doctor, rather she would search her mind for traces of the sound that had resided there. It was a better option than thinking about the Doctor, who was off somewhere, hand-in-hand with River, making little babies...

"Hello!" A female voice cried out, startling Amy who was sat on the armchair across from Danni. She'd been trying to watch television, but Danni hadn't really spoke since they'd found her in their kitchen and she was so tempted to try and ring the Doctor again. No matter what he might or might not have done, she was still not convinced the Doctor would marry River, he was the only one that had a chance of breaking Danni out of the spiral she was heading down.

"Mels?" she called, her childhood friend appearing in the doorway, "What are you doing here?" Mels shrugged, stutting into the room like she always did. Since they'd met, Mels always acted like she owned whatever room she was in.

"Bored." she replied simply, spotting the girl one the sofa, "Is that Danni?" She asked, shocked at the sight of the red-head. She remembered her clearly. She'd been trapped in something back in the 1960's and Danni had helped her out. She couldn't remember why she had been there, or who she was running from, but she could see Danni looking down at her, promising to look after her always. And here she was. Amy nodded sadly.

"Yeah, she's not..." But Mels didn't wait to listen, instead sat down next to to girl and shook her.

"Danni!" She exclaimed happily and Danni blinked, turning to look at the beaming woman next to her. Mels. Melody. River. Mels. Melody. River. It went around in her head like a mantra. A small smile stretched across her face and she pulled her in for a hug.

"Hello again Little Melody." She whispered happily into Mels ear, and Melody squeezed her tightly.

_~0~0~0~_

"Seriously, Rory." Amy exclaimed down her phone, "They've been gone for two days! Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Mels always disappears." Rory replied, which was true. Mels had never been very reliable, or dependable. She could disappear for weeks on end, turn up with a smirk on her lips and a lie ready to tell them.

"But she's taken Danni with her." She had come down one morning to find a note on the counter 'going out with Mels, back in a hour, Danni x'. That had been two days ago, and that was very unlike Danni.

Although, she had become more and more unlike Danni over the last month or so. She'd been staying out late into the night, coming home drunk and with her arms around Mels like she didn't want to let go. Mels was just as bad, she barely came around to see her or Rory anymore, it was just for Danni. She _had _be more obsessed with Danni though when they were children, always asking Amy questions about the red-head rather than the Doctor, who Amy had wanted to talk about more. She and Amy had always fought over who got to play Danni, Amy because she wanted to secretly kiss the Doctor but Mels found the girl truly fascinating.

"Maybe Danni has zapped off?" Rory suggested, "You know how unpredictable it is. Jack's already brought her back twice."

"Exactly." Amy exclaimed, "She'd have had him bring her back again. She's still heartbroken over the Doctor."

"Amy!" Mels' voice rang through the house.

"Amelia Pond!" Danni demanded and Amy sighed.

"They're back." She told her husband as Mels and Danni strutted into the front room.

"We're back!" They cried together, both of them weighed down by multiple carrier bags. Amy shot a quick goodbye to her husband before turning to the pair.

"Where the hell have you two been?!" She shouted angrily, "Me and Rory have been worried sick!"

"Mels took me to Manchester!" Danni exclaimed, "She leant me some money and we went clothes shopping! And look at my hair!" She placed her bags down and spun in her new black dress with little playing cards covering it, showing off the blonde hair Amy had failed to notice in her anger, "Do you like it?" Amy blinked, surprised by the quite drastic change to Danni's appearance.

"It's blonde." Was all she could say about it, "I thought you liked your red hair?"

"I did." Danni agreed, "But Mels thought it'd be better for me to have a bit of a change."

"But the Doc..."

"Ah, ah, ah." Mels tutted, "We're not going to speak his name." She pulled Danni up against her, "He deserves to be shot for hurting my Danni-Girl here. We've got her a new look, now we've just got to find her a new man." Danni nodded but Amy looked dubious. Maybe she should have kept Mels at a distance from Danni. She was hurting, and Mels could be pretty persuasive.

"I don't need a new man." Danni protested, slinking out of her grasp, "I don't need any man. You and me, Mels. 'Til the end of time." She grabbed her bags back off the floor, "I'm going to unpack these!" She rushed out of the room to the spare room Rory and Amy had allowed her to sleep in and Amy turned to Mels, hands on her hips.

"Oh, it's the 'angry' look." Mels groaned, dropping her bags and heading to the sofa and flopping down on it.

"You can't just up and take her places." Amy scolded, following her and towering over her like a grown-up telling a child off. This was how their relationship had always been, Mels doing something stupid and Amy telling her off for it.

"Why not? She's a grown woman, she can do what she likes." Mels countered."

"She's not well!" Amy exclaimed, "Nevermind this nonsense with the Doctor, she's suffering from withdrawal from that noise in her head. She needs help. She needs her family around her." Mels smirked.

"Oh, I see. You're jealous." Amy rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are." Mels laughed, "You're jealous that she's spending so much time with me and not you."

"You're changing her." Amy hissed, "She used to like her red hair, and she used to just want to stop for a moment and relax. She used to love the Doctor, and now she's running away because _you_ tell her to."

"She doesn't exist just for the Doctor." Mels stood up, "She's my Danni-Girl now, not his. If she wants to dye her hair, she can. If she doesn't want to see him ever again, then she doesn't have to. Maybe you should realise she's a separate person." She headed towards the small set of stairs that lead to the upstairs, "Laters, Danni-Girl." Danni appeared at the top, looking confused.

"You're leaving?" She asked and Mels shot her a casual salute.

"I'll be back." And she headed out the door. Amy rolled her eyes, it was never good when Mels became passionate about anything. It tended to border on the obsessive. Danni headed back to her room and shut the door, leaning against it as she slid to the floor, crying silently because she just couldn't stop.

_~0~0~0~_

Amy stepped into the karaoke bar she and Mels used to frequent, the call of her good friend Jonathan had called to tell her Mels had a blonde girl practically tied to the machine, and that he wanted to shut up shop for the night. Mels and Danni were behind the microphone, Mels propping up Danni and vice versa.

"_And I just can't look - it's killing me. And taking control._" Danni sang as Mels grinned.

"Jealousy, turning saints into the sea. Turning through sick lullabies, Choking on your alibis." Mels continued, not as in tune as Danni but she did seem to be slightly more drunk than Danni was.

"_But it's just the price I pay. Destiny is calling me. Open up my eager eyes. 'Cause I'm Mr Brightside!_" She frowned as they sang together, Danni's eyes glazing over slightly.

"_I never..._" She continued, "_I never... I never... I never..._" Mels ignored her as she seemed to start to cry and Amy walked over, holding her hand out to Danni.

"Let's take you home." She told her friend gently and Danni nodded, the pair leaving Mels to rock out again on her own.

_~0~0~0~_

Amy approached Danni, who had been sat on the little patio that their small house allowed them, staring up at the sky. She'd been there for the best part of the afternoon and it was starting to get chilly, after all it _was_ only Britain, even summer wasn't that hot. The sky was dulling to dusk, but Danni really didn't seem to be moving any time soon so she slipped the blanket around her shoulders, still not used to the blonde hair that she pulled out of it to make her more comfortable, and sat next to her.

"Hey." She whispered gently and Danni glanced at her, shooting her a sad smile before looking upwards again.

"Hi." She replied just as quietly. Amy looked up and searched the sky for something extraoridinary, but nothing was there.

"Are you okay?" She settled on and Danni shook her head.

"Not really." Danni replied with a sigh, "Today would be my birthday. Another one. I've been here almost two years."

"You never said!" Amy exclaimed, "We can still do something. I'll get Rory to take us out." Danni laughed lightly, shaking her head again.

"No, it's fine. I didn't want to do anything. I just..." She sniffed, "He's not coming, is he?" Amy realised what she'd been doing, something she had done herself. She was waiting in the garden for the Doctor to come back.

"I'm sorry." Amy told her.

"I've been back to Eleven." Danni told her, "The second time Jack's brought me back, it was from Eleven. He took one look at me and turned around, dropping me off at Jack's house. He didn't speak, he just stood there until Jack opened the door and I realised what he'd done. He really doesn't want me anymore."

"That's not true." Amy promised her, "He probably saw how upset you were and wanted you to be okay."

"Mels is wrong." She told Amy, "I don't want to get over the Doctor. I don't want there to be a time when he isn't mine." She paused, holding her breath and squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to force the tears away, "I don't want to go back and for him to hate me again."

"He doesn't hate you." Amy said firmly, "Did Mels tell you that?" Danni shrugged slightly.

"Maybe." She admitted, "I don't know. I've never noticed how loud my insecurities were until now. They're echoing around my head. Why did he ask me to marry him, then marry River?" Amy's eyebrows shot up.

"He asked you to marry him?" She asked and Danni nodded.

"He was trying to get me to do something." She explained vaguely, "But he didn't mean it." She laughed hollowly, "Obviously. I just... I don't understand. Doctors later than him have been lovely, but then he did that. He told me he loved her. Why would he do that, and then be so 'in love' with me? I don't get it." Amy pulled her in for a hug, planting a kiss on her head, "Was it worth it?" Amy frowned.

"Was what worth it?"

"Waiting in the garden?" Amy nodded, feeling the girl shake. She'd put on a bit of weight since she'd landed, having been almost skin and bones but she still felt so small.

"It was." She replied honestly.

"Then I'll just stay here."

_~0~0~0~_

Rory whistled to himself as he headed to the living room, starting slightly as he saw Danni staring at the blank television screen. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth was murmuring to herself.

"Danni?" He called and she slowly opened her eyes, shooting him an apologetic look.

"Sorry." She mouthed. He knew what she was doing, trying to fill her head with noise again, but it wasn't any good. He knew how much people could crave what they were addicted to, but it had to be stopped. He sat next to her.

"That bad?" He asked and she nodded.

"I haven't seen Mels in days." She replied. Mels was loud, and she kept her busy. That's what she needed, time to not sit and think about it. Mels offered her that, a chance to forget for a while. But it wasn't working, she wasn't moving past the need for the drumming, but it was a start. Hopefully, one day, she wouldn't remember that she needed it.

"Maybe that's a good thing." Rory started slowly and she frowned in confusion, "I think... I like you the way you are, and Mels is trying to turn you into her." She opened her mouth and he held his hands up in defence, "Not because of the Doctor, or anything. I like Mels, but you don't need to change just because he might have left you. _Might have._" He hastened to emphasis, "You shouldn't let him change you, or Mels. If you feel like you want to be different, then that's up to you. But you don't need to." She felt herself smile as he seemed to fluster himself up. She reached over and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, Rory the Roman." She started happily, "What would I do without you watching over us all?" She let him go and he stretched slightly, looking pleased with himself and she giggled happily, "Where's Amy, anyway?"

"I have no idea." Rory replied, "She shouted 'going out' and I haven't seen her since." Danni nodded.

"I suppose her and Mels really do have a lot in common." Amy burst into the room, Mels behind her, looking so excited.

"Look what I found outside the door!" She exclaimed, holding up a newspaper with the headline 'Leadworth's Crop Circle', the crop circle reading 'Doctor', "It's from tomorrow. I went to ask Mels if she planned on doing it, but she swears she wasn't. So it must be us." Rory walked over, looking at the article.

"That's the Miller's Farm." He pointed out and Amy nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door.

"We have to do it. Now."

"Brilliant!" Mels exclaimed, "I'm finally going to be able to meet him."

"No, you're not." Rory told her firmly, "You two stay here." And the Ponds left without room for argument. Mels crossed her arms, sulking at being stuck here while the Doctor was coming somewhere else. She had to stick to her word, she'd promised Danni he would be sorry for hurting her.

"Well." Danni drawled, "We need to follow them, don't we?" Mels looked over to see the sneaky smirk on the other girl's face and grinned back, "And to do that, we need a car."

"We don't have a car." Mels pointed out,

"There's a lovely Corvette down the street." Danni suggested, pushing herself up off the sofa, "But we'll need the keys." Mels smirked.

"I have a way."

_~0~0~0~_

_Quick thing to clear up, last chapter was a prologue-type thing but it doesn't happen directly before this. It's one of them 'future-teaser' ones you sometimes see in books. So she hasn't just forgiven him, as you can see up there *points*_

_I'm glad to see you're all so excited! I've never seen so many follows so quickly, you've made my day/week! Thank you for being so supportive._

_So many reviews as well! I hope I can live up to your expectations *worried face*_

_Oh, and as much as I'd love Danni/Jack, I can say that he's got his part, but it's not that :) Hope you're not too disappointed._

_Read Beingextremelycleveruphere's fanfic, Miracle Out Of Nowhere. That's an order ;) And my Sherlock one, if you're that way inclined :)_


	3. The Kiss

"Out, out, out! Everybody out. Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!" The Doctor ushered everyone out, each covering their faces with their respective tops to try and keep from inhaling the smoke. He reached out to place a hand on Danni's shoulder to guide her away from the malfunctioning TARDIS but she shrugged him off.

"I can't believe you shot the TARDIS!" She exclaimed angrily at Mels, who put her hands up defensively.

"I thought we were being angry!" She retorted.

"Not at the _TARDIS_!" She exclaimed as she spun around to face her, "She wasn't the one who got married without me!"

"Where are we?" Amy asked loudly to try and stop the pair from arguing.

"A room." The Doctor dismissed, walking over to Danni, "Please tell me what is going on!" He demanded, "Why are you saying I'm your 'ex'?"

"I told you." She replied, "You married River. _You_ married River. Not me!" She jabbed in the chest, "You! You ended..." She waved her hands in the air, "Whatever this was! And this is me moving on!"

"With a gun-toting..." He paused, thinking of the right word, "Psychopath?"

"You did." She snapped back and the Doctor reached out to grab her hands, to try and reason with her but she recoiled from him, holding her hand up in warning, "I will smack you if you try and touch me."

"There must have been a reason why I did it." He tried to reason, "I wouldn't just up and marry someone!"

"There was a reason." She countered, "You told me you love her." The Doctor shook his head, getting ready to argue back when Rory stepped between the two. As much as he would have liked to hear the Doctor's side of things, at least some sort of explanation to why he would marry River in the future, there were more pressing issues to be thinking about.

"Right, time out." Rory told the pair before turning to the Doctor, "What room?" The Doctor shrugged, sending the Roman a glare, annoyed that he had to be all sensible and bring them back to the situation at hand.

"I don't know! I haven't memorized every room in the universe. I had yesterday off." He snapped, changing tactics and turning away towards Mels, ready to tell her what he thought about her brainwashing his Danni-Girl against him when he saw her trying to get back into the TARDIS. He stepped forward but Danni rushed over, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her back, snatching the gun out of her hand and tossing it straight at the Doctor. He smiled slightly at her automatic response to go to him first, he was still in there somewhere.

"Oi!" Mels exclaimed angrily.

"Until you can learn not to shoot TARDIS's, no guns for you!" Danni snapped back, pulling the door closed and stopping the smoke getting out, "I hope she'll be okay."

"It'll be fine." Mels dismissed, "It's just a machine."

"Shows what you know." Danni retorted. Mels shot her a smirk and Danni laughed, shaking her head, "Fine, I forgive you." She put an arm around her and the Doctor pouted. So close.

"Doctor," Rory called, spotting a man unconscious on the floor and rushing to his side, "this guy, I think he's hurt." He checked his pulse and frowned, "No, hang on. No, he's... he's fine." The Doctor glanced down at the gun in his hand. He had to get it away from Mels before she caused anymore damage. He moved over a desk, slightly covered in rubble from their collision with the building, and placed it into a fruit bowl for safe keeping. A groan came from behind the desk and a man slowly pulled himself up.

"Ooh, hello! Sorry, is this your office?" The Doctor asked, turning to point at the TARDIS, "Had a sort of collision with my vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about..." He trailed off as he turned back, his tongue darting out to wet his slight dry lips as he saw who the man was, "…it." He finished. The rest of the group spotted who the man was and Amy, Danni and Rory walked up to the Doctor, staring in shock at him.

"Is that...? No, it can't be, Doctor?" Amy asked and the Doctor nodded slightly.

"Thank you." Hitler told them gratefully, "Whoever you are, I think you have just saved my life."

"Oh, well done." Danni said sarcastically, "Save Hitler, what a good plan."

"Believe me... it was an accident." The Doctor replied. Hitler caught sight of the TARDIS and slowly walked over.

"What is this thing?"

"What did he mean we saved his life? We could not have saved Hitler." Amy hissed.

"You see?" The Doctor turned, snapping at Mels, "You see, time travel, it never goes to plan."

"This box, what is it?" Hitler tried again.

"It's a police telephone box from London, England." The Doctor strode over to the German, smirking knowingly, "That's right, Adolf, the British are coming!"

"No, stop him!" Hitler suddenly shouted, taking out his gun and shooting at the man who had been laid out on the floor.

"No!" Danni screamed, dashing forward and slamming into Hitler, sending his gun flying out of his hand before he could do any harm. The dictator fell to the floor and Rory scrambled to pick the gun up, aiming it at him.

"Sit still, shut up." Rory commanded and Hitler put his hands up as Amy rushed over to the side of the man Hitler had been trying to shoot.

"Are you OK?" She asked him and he nodded faintly.

"Yes, yes." He replied in a German accent, "Yes. I'm fine. I think he missed."

"He was going to kill me." Hitler defended and Rory turned to him.

"Shut up, Hitler!" He snapped, seeing the strangeness of the situation quite clearly but having learnt long ago to just roll with it.

"Rory, take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there now. Do it!" The Doctor commanded and Rory nodded.

"Right, putting Hitler in the cupboard. Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard." He pulled Hitler off the floor and marched him to the cupboard in question, "Come on."

"But I am the Fuhrer!" Hitler protested.

"Right, in you go!" Rory replied, pushing him in and shutting the door in Hitler's face. The Doctor nodded his approval before heading over to the other man, who Amy had helped sit down on some rubble.

"Are you OK?" The man blinked at him.

"Oh, I..." And the man fainted. They all stared at him in shock.

"I think he just fainted." Rory stated.

"Yes, that was a faint." The Doctor agreed, "A perfect faint." Amy looked over at Mels, who was stood off to the side, a dazed look on her face.

"Mels?" She asked, standing up from her crouch and Mels shot her a weak smile.

"I almost got shot by Hitler." She replied and she looked over at Danni who, to his delight, was stood at the Doctor's side, "I almost got shot by Hitler!" She exclaimed happily and Danni laughed with her nodded.

"Yeah, I know." She giggled, "Close one, eh?"

"He's a lousy shot." Mels concered, "Thanks for stopping it, _Danni-_Girl." The Doctor mocked her silently as Danni shrugged.

"No problem, Mels." She then reached into her jacket, pulling out her own gun and shot Mels straight in the stomach. The girl cried out in agony as the rest of the group yelled in surprise. Danni dropped the gun, running over to her as she dropped to the floor.

"I don't understand..." Mels groaned as Danni knelt by her, teeth bared in fury, "I thought..."

"What? We were friends?" Danni mocked, "Let me get this straight for you, we will never be friends." She leant in closer, "You don't understand yet, but this isn't about me never forgiving the Doctor. He broke my heart, left me with nothing at all, but I still have the Doctor's before him. I'll be okay. But you..." She put her hand on the wound, pushing hard and causing Mels to scream in pain, "I will never forgive you River. And I promise that I'll never let you go, I will never stop taking it out on you. You stole him from me, I will _never_ get him back, so I'm going to make sure you never forget me." The Doctor pulled her away from Mels as Amy and Rory dropped to her side.

"What have you done?!" Amy screamed and Danni and the blonde girl smirked in reply.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." She retorted.

"Rory, fix her." The Doctor commanded, looking down at Danni, "What is going on?"

"The only water in the forest is the _River_." She replied pointedly, not looking or feeling remorseful. Mels was going to get shot anyway, she had just changed the shooter. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"You haven't lost me." He promised her and she nodded.

"Yes I have." She whispered sadly as Rory fought to help Mels.

"No, no, no! I've got to stop the bleeding!" He snapped in frustration.

"How bad is it? Rory, what can we do?" Amy cried as she stroked her friend's hair.

"Just keep her conscious! Stay with us, Mels." Rory commanded as Mels seemed to drift away from them.

"Are you sure?" The Doctor whispered to Danni and she nodded.

"Who did you name Melody after?" Danni called over, not taking her gaze off the Doctor.

"Why does it matter?" Amy snapped, "She's our best friend." Mels laughed painfully, gasping as Rory did his best to help her.

"How..." She gasped again, "Boring."

"Who did you name Melody after?" The Doctor replied.

"Mels." Amy told him and he looked over at the three in realisation, working out what was happening before turning back to Danni.

"I knew you wouldn't kill anyone." He said in relief and she shot him a smirk.

"Just you." She retorted, "I've had months to think this over. I'm going to forgive you." A smile started to spread on his face and he reached out, bringing her in for a snog that Amy and Rory couldn't believe was happening as Mels was dying. Danni grasped at his jacket until he broke away, leaning his forehead on hers, "And them I'm going to move on from you." She whispered and his eyes shot open in shock.

"No." He breathed and she nodded, "No, no you can't do that." She shrugged.

"I'm gonna try." She twisted out of his grasp, "I had nothing left to lose but you. So I'm taking control of that situation." She nodded over at Mels, "Go sort her out." The Doctor looked at her in despair and she shot him an encouraging smile. Hoping that if he did what she asked, she might at least listen to him, he rushed over to Mels.

Hey, look at me." He told the girl on the floor, shooting her a smile of his own, "Just hold on."

"I used to dream about you. All those stories Amy told me." Mels told him, "You and your Danni-Girl. How I loved you both."

"What stories? Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice, that's a belter." Mels laughed breathlessly.

"When I was little, I was going to marry you." She admitted, "But then I met Danni."

"I can't marry you." He gently told her, "But I can get Danni to say sorry, yeah? But only if you live. Deal?"

"True." She replied, "Think what my parents would say."

"I suspect they're as clueless as me right now." He looked out of the corner of his eye, "Right, Amelia?" Amy and Rory exchanged glances as Mels began to glow bright orange.

"Penny in the air." Mels whispered. The Doctor grabbed Rory and Amy by the arms, pulling them away, "Penny drops!" She stood up as Rory turned to Danni.

"What the hell's going on?" He demanded, "Since when did you go around shooting people?"

"Since she stole my boyfriend!" Danni snapped in reply, "It's fine, trust me. Mels is short for Melody, right?"

"Yeah, I named my daughter after her." Amy retorted.

"You named your daughter... after your daughter." The Doctor finished and they all turned to face her.

"Took me years to find you two. I'm so glad I did. And, you see, it all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all."

"You're Melody?"

"But if she's Melody, that means she's also..." Rory trailed off, realising why Danni might have been mad at her.

"Oh, shut up, Dad!" Mels snapped, "I'm focussing on a dress size." She chucked her hands out and screamed as she regenerated.

_~0~0~0~_

They always flirted. Danni sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly as they watched the Doctor and the newly-regenerated Mels/River dance around each other, Mels trying to kill the Doctor and the man himself stopping her at every turn. Amy and Rory were finding this very hard to come to terms with, but then again who wouldn't? She felt a spike of joy at the thought of Madame Kovarian burning because of what she did before shaking her head, getting to the task at hand.

"You were not a psychopath! Why would she be a psychopath?" Amy asked the Doctor as Mels and the Doctor circled each other, eyes trained on the other.

"Oh, Mummy, Mummy, pay attention." Mels scolded lightly, "I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born to kill the Doctor."

"Demons Run, remember? This is what they were building, my bespoke psychopath." The Doctor added, "I did feel bad for her, until I found out what she would do to Danni. Now," He shrugged, "She's just another obstacle for us to get around."

"I wouldn't do anything to Danni!" Mels protested angrily, "She's just upset but she didn't mean anything by it. She saved me from the Spacesuit! She helped me find my parents. She's my best friend, no one else's!" Danni shook her head, completely amazed that she still thought they were friends after everything she had... would do in the future!

"And then you break her heart." The Doctor tutted sarcastically, "Your daughter, Ponds. I hope you're proud." Melody looked over at Danni and saw her looking at the floor, playing with the hem of her tank top and her eyes narrowed. She wasn't upset because of her, she was upset because of _the Doctor_. They'd been right all along, the Doctor destroyed everything he touched, and he'd even turned her best friend against her! Well, there was something she could do about that. She reached forward, brushing her lips against the Doctor's, who immediately jumped back in surprise.

"What are you doing?" He exclaimed, wiping his lips but it was too late. It had been too late from the moment her lips touched his. She turned, walking over to the window sill and stepping onto it, looking out at the city outside.

"Oh, look at that! Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart." She looked back at the group inside, "Now that's my kind of town. Mum, Dad, don't follow me. And, yes, that is a warning." She told them. The Doctor stepped towards her slightly, knowing River's love of jumping out of buildings he wasn't about to let Mels do the same.

"No warning for me, then?" He asked.

"No need, my love. The deed is done and so are you." The Doctor's legs wobbled and he collapsed as he chest exploded in pain as he struggled to breath. Danni caught him on one side as Amy and Rory darted forward to catch him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Danni cried, cupping his face to make him look at her, "I forgot about the lipstick!"

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Amy asked, just as worried from the other side.

"What have you done?" He asked, rubbing his side to try and work out what was happening to him, "River!" She rolled her eyes.

"You really shouldn't be calling out for her when Danni is right there." She smiled at the blonde woman at the Doctor's side, "You can thank me later, sweetie."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Danni snarled back.

"What have you done?!" The Doctor shouted as he fell to the floor, pulling Danni with him.

"It was never going to be a gun for you," Mels told him with a smile, "Doctor, the man of peace who understands every kind of warfare, except, perhaps, the cruellest." His fingers traced his lips as he realised what had happened, "Kiss, kiss." She winked at Danni, "I'll be back for you soon, sweetie." She blew them all a kiss then jumped out of the window.

"What's wrong with you? What's she done to you?" Rory asked the Doctor.

"Poisoned me," The Doctor replied, "Because she's programmed to want to kill me. And a tiny bit because she wants Danni all to herself, but I'm fine." He tried to push himself up but stumbled again, "Well, no, I'm dying, but I've got a plan."

"Since when do you ever have a plan?" Danni asked him and he shot her a cheeky grin.

"It's already working." He told her with a groan, "I'm not dying. See, fine!" With help he finally got to his feet, wrapping his arm around Danni's shoulder for support, "You didn't jump out of the window with her. Step one, complete."

"Oh, you are such a bloody fool sometimes!" She snapped, her anger flaring up, "Don't think just because you're dying I'm on your side."

"No, but you are by my side." He pointed out, "Prospects are looking up. As I strictly do not die."

"OK, what do we do? How do we help you?" Rory asked. He used his free hand to rummage through his pockets, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and handing it to Amy.

"Take this! The TARDIS can home in on it." He told them, "Now, go, get after her! Me and Danni-Girl are going to make sure I stick to the no-dying plan." She rolled her eyes.

"She's outside antagonising Nazis." She explained, "You should probably stop her." She gave Amy a gentle shove before they went their separate ways, Danni helping the Doctor into the TARDIS.

_~0~0~0~_

_Short chapter is short, I know, but I wanted to leave Danni and the Doctor on the TARDIS together for the next chapter :)_

_Notes on Reviews..._

_Yes, I think this was very interesting for Melody ;)_

_I'm glad you're enjoying it ^_^ Hope this chapter is okay for you too._

_You're always very kind. I'm glad you like my Sherlock fic too :)_

_I have big plans for the Master and Danni during the Year That Never Was ;)_

_Mels sees her as the girl who helped her get to her parents. She wants her just for herself :)_

_Yeah, Eleven sending her to Jack was a bit mean, wasn't it? But he had his reasons, even if he doesn't do it quite right._

_Of course I promo'd you ;)_


	4. The Teselecta

The smoke that filled the TARDIS immediately began to choke the pair and Danni helped the Doctor walk up to the console as she coughed against the cloud invading her lungs.

"Old Girl!" She cried, "Do you mind?" There was a whirring noise as the TARDIS turned on it's extractor fans and she sighed in relief, "Oh, thanks sweetie." She placed the Doctor against the console so he could lean on it instead of her, "What do we do now?"

"You need to tell me what is really going on." He told her, spinning around with a groan so he was looking out into the TARDIS, "What did she do to you?" Danni's eyes narrowed.

"She married you, moron!" She snapped, "We don't have time for this, you're dying! Let's fix that first, eh?"

"No, no, no." He pointed at her, "She's turned you against me. She's obviously jealous, but why would she want that?"

"She didn't turn me against you." She insisted, "You did that all on your own. Now, please, can you just fix yourself?" He waved her off.

"I know, I know. 'I married River.'" He dismissed, "That's not it, well, that's not what could have happened."

"Oh, I was there." She snarled, "Don't you dare try and place it on me!"

"Well, the memory must have been placed in your head." He reasoned, "Mels must have told you, convinced you it happened."

"No, she didn't! She's wanted to kill River since she found out what happened! Why do you keep denying it?"

"Because I promised!" He exclaimed angrily before spasming, dropping to the floor. She yelped and helped him lean against the railing, "I'm shutting down." He groaned, feeling his organs start to fail.

"Look, I know you want to hash this out. God knows I do, and I'm the angry one." Danni explained calmly, cupping his face so he would look at her, "But no matter how angry I am, I don't want you to die. Please, _please_ fix this first then we can talk."

"I know she's done something." He told her, before shifting in his position, "I need... Going to need an interface. Voice interface. Come on, emergency." A grainy version of himself appeared in front of them, standing in his military coat and staring at them with indifference.

"Voice interface enabled." It stated and the Doctor shook his head.

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Give me someone I like." The image switched to Rose with a shimmer and he groaned, "Oh, thanks! Give me guilt!" It shimmered again and Martha appeared, "Also guilt!" It changed to Donna and Danni smiled even though he winced, "More guilt." He spasmed, grabbing his chest as his hearts felt like they were exploding, "Come on, there must be someone left in the universe I haven't screwed up yet." The image flickered once more, bringing up a the image of a little Amelia Pond, holding hands with a ginger Danni. Danni blinked in surprise as the Doctor's face relaxed into a smile.

"Voice interface enabled." Amelia stated.

"Oh! Oh, Amelia Pond before I got it all wrong." He sighed, "My sweet little Amelia, with her Danni-Girl."

"I am not Amelia Pond." Amelia stated.

"I am not Danni-Girl." Danni-Girl stated.

"I am a voice interface." They stated together.

"Hey, let's run away and have adventures. Come along, Pond." He groaned, "You, me and Danni-Girl, sounds fun."

"I am not Amelia Pond." Amelia stated.

"I am not Danni-Girl." Danni-Girl stated.

"I am a voice interface." They stated together.

"You are _so.._. ginger." He settled on, "How am I doing?"

"Your system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas tree. You will be dead in 32 minutes." Amelia explained.

"OK, so, basically better regenerate, that's what you're saying?" He asked and Danni shook her head.

"No, you can't." She explained, "We need to find another solution."

"Regeneration disabled." Danni-Girl agreed, "You will be dead in 32 minutes."

"So, I need a cure then?" He asked Danni.

"There is no cure." Amelia told them, "You will be dead in 32 minutes."

"Why do you keep saying that?" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Because you will be dead in 32 minutes." Danni-Girl replied.

"You see, there you go again. Basically skipping 31 whole minutes when I'm absolutely fine." He turned to Danni, smiling through his pain at her, "Red-heads, that's all I'm saying."

"We need to find another way." She replied, stroking his hair gently despite herself.

"You will be fine for 31 minutes. You will be dead in 32 minutes." Amelia corrected.

"Scotland's never conquered anywhere. Not even a Shetland." He remarked, "I can't die, I need to save Danni. I have to stop it happening." He tried to sit up but flailed slightly. She held him in place.

"You will not die now. You will die in 32 minutes." Danni-Girl told him.

"I'm going out in the first round. Ringing any bells?" He yelled in pain, falling forward into Danni's arms, "OK, need something for the pain now. Come on, Amelia. It's me. Please." He begged.

"I am not Amelia Pond. I am a voice interface." Amelia stated and he looked at the ginger holding her hand.

"Danni-Girl, my Dann-Girl, listen to me... I can be brave for you but you have got to tell me how."

"I am not Danni-Girl. I am a voice interface." Danni-Girl stated and he slumped over, gripping onto Danni as he closed his eyes, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Danni... Danni, please..." He whispered and Danni sniffed, holding him just as tightly. There he went again, making her want to help somehow.

"She's not your Danni-Girl, but I am." She whispered into his ear, "And I'm not going anywhere. You better get up, Spaceman. We've 32 minutes to save your life." He looked up, looking eyes with her as she tried desperately not to cry.

"Really?" She nodded, "Please, tell me..."

"I love you." She interrupted, "Of course I bloody do, otherwise I wouldn't be so hurt. You can break my heart because I love you, I've already told you..." She shook her head, remembering he hadn't been to Two Streams yet, "No, wait, I am going to tell you that. Sorry, tenses again. They're very difficult sometimes." He laughed joyfully and pressed his forehead against hers for a moment. He then used her to slowly and very unsteadily stand up.

"Ha!" He laughed, falling against the console, "She still loves me! You hear that River?" He flipped a switch and set the TARDIS in motion, "I've still got her!" He used his grip on the TARDIS to turn around, "31 minutes." He stated and she frowned, nodding as she climbed off the floor, stumbling slightly as the TARDIS spun. He pushed himself off the console and into her, grabbing her tightly and pulling her into a kiss, "We can get a lot done in 31 minutes." He explained suggestively and she smacked his arm.

"You are dying, and I'm still pissed." She scolded and he shrugged, capturing her lips again. She let him coax her into responding, her lips moving in time with his as he held her firmly in place.

"You know," He panted as they broke apart, a particularly vicious spasm shooting through him, "_I _haven't done anything, he does it." He pointed out,his hand snaking down her back, "So, you could stay angry at him, and not with me?" She rolled her eyes.

"Focus." She scolded, "You've got, I don't know, 29, 28 minutes to live. You're missing the important issue here." His lips were dancing across her neck, suckling and nipping there.

"What's that?" He asked against her skin, hoping to be able to coax her into his way of thinking. She placed both hands on his chest and pushed him away and he groaned lightly at the loss of contact.

"You are entirely under dressed." He glanced down at himself before laughing loudly, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the TARDIS with him

_~0~0~0~_

Amy approached Mels slowly and purposefully, her gaze cold and hard as she stood just to the side of her. The room was deserted apart from them, Mels having scared the patrons away from their food and their clothes.

"You killed the Doctor on the orders of the movement known as the Silence and Academy of the Question. You accept and know this to be true?" She asked the woman, who shrugged, continuing to check her new image in the full-length mirror.

"Quite honestly, I don't really remember. It was all a bit of jumble." She replied. Amy shoved the mirror out of the way, her mouth falling open and a bright, light blue beam shot out, enveloping Mels and causing her to fall back in terror.

"No! No! Get off me!" She screamed, fighting against the light imprisoning her.

"Sorry, did you say she killed the Doctor?" The imposter Amy closed her mouth, releasing Mels and the pair turned to stare at the Doctor, who was leaning against the TARDIS at the other end of the room. He was dressed in a full tuxedo and had a top hat on and a cane, "The Doctor? Doctor who?"

"You're dying and you stopped to change?" Mels asked in disbelief and he nodded, spinning on the spot, grabbing Danni's hand as he pulled her with him.

"Oh, you should always waste time when you don't have any. Time is not the boss of you - Rule 408." Mels face hardened as she noticed that Danni was there. She stormed over, grabbing Danni by the hand and yanking her out of the Doctor's weak grasp.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, looking her over for any damage, "Did he do anything? I knew I should have taken you with me." Danni brushed her off.

"I'm fine." She promised, "You're the one who was shot." As angry as she was with River, she'd had a brilliant time with Mels really and was starting to feel slightly guilty for shooting her. Only slightly, because she was going to get shot anyway, but still...

"I was getting bored of that body anyway." Mels explained and Danni frowned at how she could forgive her so easily, "I know you are angry, that's okay. We'll find this River and we'll make it right together." Danni shook her head.

"It's not River's fault." She explained, "I've been blaming her, but she's done nothing wrong. She just married the man she loves. I hope she forgives me." Whilst the Doctor had been choosing what to get changed into, he'd tried so hard to convince her that Mels had turned her against him, but he was wrong. In fact, Mels had barely talked about the Doctor, refused to discuss him at all, because it had made Danni sad to talk about him. She'd spent her entire life being conditioned to hate him, but she broke that by falling in love with him. She couldn't blame her for circumstance, as much as she wanted to.

"Who wouldn't?" Mels asked, stroking her face and the Doctor frowned, not liking the interaction between the two. River had always been so touchy-feely with Danni, he didn't realise how much it had actually bothered him until now.

"Amelia Pond," He stated loudly, pulling them both back into the room as he strode over to the unmoving Pond, "judgement death machine. Why am I not surprised?" He held up his cane, pressing a button and the silver ball on the top opened, revealing a green tip, "Sonic cane!" He crowed proudly and Danni giggled slightly at how happy he was. Mels eyes narrowed angrily, she had to stop him bewitching her friend again. If she decided to forgive him, then she would resent the fact she killed him and probably wouldn't stay with her. Humans were so fickle like that, and with such a short lifespan she couldn't risk it.

"Are you serious?" Mels snapped and the Doctor backed up, scanning Amy with the wide sweeps of the cane.

"Never knowingly. Never knowingly be serious." He explained, slotting himself in between the two, glancing at River, "Rule 27. You might want to write these down." He checked the readings, "Oh, it's a robot!" He read and Mels rolled her eyes.

"Obviously." She retorted, "How did Danni put up with you for so long? My Lord, you're so slow." The Doctor frowned.

"Hey!" He exclaimed angrily, "I think you'll find I'm quite clever."

"Waving that cane around like you're such a big deal?" Mels mocked, "I doubt it very much. You couldn't even see me and I was right in front of your face."

"You've got to admit that it's slightly strange for you to be _with _your parents!" He fought back.

"Danni saw it." Mels snapped, "She's too clever to be taken in by _you_."

"The robot?" Danni interrupted the argument, the pair glaring each other like children. She rolled her eyes at them as they both huffed, turning away from each other pointedly.

"Right, sorry." The Doctor apologised, looking at his sonic cane again, "As I was saying, a robot with With 423 life signs inside." His eyebrows raised as his excitement returned, "A robot worked by tiny people. Love it! But how do you all get in there, though? Bigger on the inside?" He checked the cane again, "No, basic miniaturization sustained by a compression field. You were right," He told Danni, "Tiny people inside a robot. Oh, how wonderful."

"Not in a justice-delivering robot." She muttered and he nodded.

"Right." He agreed, "Amy, if you and Rory are OK, signal me." He held up his cane and a moment later it began flashing, picking up the signal from the original screwdriver, "Thanking you." He told them before he fell to the floor, crying out in pain. Mels tried to grab Danni's hand, but was a moment too late as she dove to him, catching him before he hurt himself.

"Are you okay?" She asked and he nodded

"Oops, sorry, leg went to sleep. Just had a quick left leg power nap, I forgot I had one scheduled. Actually, better sit down, I think I heard the right one yawning." She helped him sit down on the steps leading up to the TARDIS, sitting next to him as he clung to her hand. Mels frowned, she couldn't get her away from him whilst he had such a tight grip on him. She had to get away just long enough for him to dye, then she and Danni run off in the TARDIS. She assumed the other blonde-haired woman knew how to pilot the thing. She spun on her heels and ran for the door, but Robot-Amy opened her mouth and captured her again in a beam of light.

"Let her go!" Danni screamed angrily as the Doctor pointed his cane at the robot.

"Don't you touch her! Do not harm her in any way." The duplicate closed it's mouth, but the field stayed around Melody, keeping her suspended.

"Why would you care? She is the women who kills you." The Teselecta-Amy asked. The Doctor took his hat off,placing it on the other side of him before waving his hands, presenting himself to the robot.

"I'm not dead." He stated.

"You're dying." It pointed out and he growled in frustration.

"Well, at least I'm not a time-travelling shape-shifting robot operated by miniaturized cross people," He snapped before turning to Danni, "which, I have got to admit, I didn't see coming."

"I did." She teased and he bopped her on the nose, causing her to go cross-eyed. He placed a kiss on her lips before pointing his cane at Mels.

"What do you want with her?"

"She's Melody Pond." Fake-Amy explained, "According to records, the woman who kills the Doctor."

"And I'm the Doctor," He retorted, "what's it to you?"

"Throughout history, many criminals have gone unpunished in their lifetimes. Time travel has... responsibilities." The robot explained and the Doctor laughed in disbelief.

"What? You got yourselves time travel, so you decided to punish dead people?" He asked, anyone could mistake him for being amused by the way he was smiling at the robot, but his hand had closed tightly around Danni's.

"We don't kill them. We extract them near the end of their established timelines." The robot continued.

"And then what?" He asked lowly.

"Give them hell." The smile fell from his face as he regarded the robot, suddenly rather angry.

"I'd ask you who you think you are, But I think the answer is pretty obvious." He told them calmly, "So, who do you think I am?" He pointed his cane back at Melody again, "She may not be my favourite person at the moment, she's tried to kill me and turned the woman I love against me, but 'The woman who killed the Doctor'?" He laughed harshly, "It sounds like you've got my biography in there. I'd love a peek."

"Our records office is sealed to the public. Foreknowledge is dangerous." The Teselecta explained.

"Yes, well, I'll be dead in three minutes. There isn't much foreknowledge left." He pointed out.

"Sorry, can't do that." The Doctor sighed and Danni squeezed his hand.

"Amy." She called, "You can access the records. She's your daughter, ask them to release the records." She nudged the Doctor, "See? Foreknowledge, I've just sped this up by a couple of minutes, so it can be quite dangerous." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Records available." The Teselecta declared and he turned away from staring at her to the robot.

"Question. I'm dying... who wants me dead?" He asked.

"The Silence." Amy replied.

"What is the Silence? Why is it called that? What does it mean?" He pressed.

"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order, or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked." The robot explained.

"What question?"

"The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight."

"Yes, but what is the question?"

"Unknown." Danni mouthed along with the answer and the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, fat lot of use that is, you big ginge! Call yourself a Records... Argh!" He screamed, spasming again and Danni gasped, wanting to help but knowing there was only one person who could,

"Kidneys are always the first to quit. I've had better, you know." He told Danni, hoping to cheer her up. She shot him a weak smile, but it wasn't very convincing, "Hey, I'll be okay." He whispered, stroking her cheek.

"You won't, and it's all my fault." she whispered, sobbing lightly and he frowned.

"How is any of this your fault?" He asked.

"Because I turned the one person who could help you even more against you." He opened his mouth to question her further but suddenly Melody began screaming, twitching in what was now deep red light as the Teselecta acted out it's punishment.

"Melody!" Danni shouted, torn between helping her and staying with the Doctor.

"Amy! Rory! Amy, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked the robot.

"What do we do? This is me. This is me actually talking. What do we do?" Amy's voice pleaded, sounding much more emotional than it had before.

"Just stop them. She's your daughter, just stop them." He told them.

"How, how?" He spasmed again, something else shutting down on him as he continued to die.

"Just do it!" He screamed as Mels fought against the bonds slowly burning her up from the inside. Suddenly she gasped, falling to the floor and blinking, still hurting all over.

"Please, now we have to save your parents. Don't run. Now, I know you're scared, but never run when you're scared. Rule 7. Please." He begged but Mels looked unconvinced. She stood up, walking over to Danni.

"We can go now." She insisted, "You and me, til the end of time, remember?" She held her hand out to her new best friend but Danni shook her head.

"Please, save them Mels." She begged, "They're your parents, and they're my family too. You can take the TARDIS." Mels, looking slightly more convinced, glanced uncertainly at the blue box behind them.

"I... I don't know how to fly that thing." She offered weakly.

"You're a Child of the TARDIS." The Doctor insisted, "She'll show you how. Now, please, hurry!" Mels looked to Danni for encouragement and she nodded, smiling brightly.

"Go on, Little Melody." She told her and Mels gasped slightly at the nickname Danni had used when saving her from the Astronaut. She nodded and rushed into the TARDIS, the machine dematerializing moments later, "And that's how she became a better pilot than you." Danni joked and he gasped.

"I can fly the TARDIS just fine, thank you very much." He defended, faking offence and she looked confused.

"Oh? Why don't you show me sometime?" She giggled as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Less than five minutes." He muttered against her lips, "Care to dance, Danni-Girl?"

"Your legs aren't in the right state for dancing." She pointed out, moaning slightly as his hands began tracing her figure.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." They sat their in each others embrace until Danni pulled away, smiling apologetically at him.

"They'll be back any minute." She told him gently and he groaned.

"I just can't catch a break today!" He moaned and she giggled, snuggling into his side. He wrapped an arm around her, "What did you mean before? About turning someone against me?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know." She retorted, "Melody can save you, can't she? I know she can, so do you, but she won't now because of me."

"How can she save me?" He asked and she looked up at him, an eyebrow raised in knowing disbelief.

"By giving you her remaining regenerations?" She replied before looking away, "I know you know that. But she won't because she wants me to herself and the only way of making me leave you is to get rid of you permanently." She sighed, "I always thought it would be me leaving you, not the other way around. You're supposed to outlive me, Spaceman, so I never had to be alone." His face fell into a thoughtful frown as he placed a kiss on the side of her head.

"I told you, Danni-Girl. I'm not going anywhere." And now he had a way to do it.

~0~0~0~

Mels did save her parents, just like Danni knew she would. The Doctor had quickly deteriorated and Amy was now holding his hand as he laid on the steps, barely able to keep his eyes open. Danni sat on the other side, in floods of tears as her heart broke. This wasn't fair, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. He couldn't leave her. She let out a quiet sob and he weakly squeezed her hand, reassuring her it was all okay.

"You can't die now." Amy told him with a secret smile, "I know you don't die now."

"Oh, Pond! You've got a schedule for everything." He breathed out with a slight chuckle. Amy frowned, looking back at her husband who was sat right behind her, then back to the Doctor.

"But it doesn't make any sense." She stated. The Doctor died in Utah, how could he die then and now?

"Doctor, what do we do? Come on. How do we help you?" Rory insisted and the Doctor shook his head.

"No, sorry, Rory. You can't. Nobody can." He whispered, "Ponds, listen to me, I need to talk to your daughter." Both Rory and Amy looked appropriately confused, but realising he was serious Amy's hung her head, trying to squash back her own tears before squeezing his hand once more. They stood up and walked over to Mels, who was watching the scene with her own sense of heartbreak and confusion. They loved him so much, but why? She slowly walked over, kneeling down next to him and shooting him a small smile. He smiled back.

"Find her." He told her, "Find River Song and tell her something from me." She shook her head, glancing at Danni.

"No." She replied, "Not after what she does to Danni."

"Mels, just stop it." Danni snapped, "He's dying, for God's sake. Just..." She took a shuddering breath, "Just please do as he says." Mels stared at her, trying to understand why she was so sad.

"Why? I thought you were angry."

"You thought I wanted him dead?" Danni laughed, "No, that was you. That was always you, Melody. I don't want to lose him before I have to. Every second, every moment I'm going to treasure because if he wants River, he can have her."

"Why would you say that?" She asked, "You love him, don't you? Why would you give him up?"

"Because that's what people do." She snapped, "There's no reason for it, and I don't bloody like it, but that's what will happen. That's what _should_ happen. This..." she let out another sob, "This shouldn't happen. Just do as he says." Mels nodded, leaning down closer so she could hear his breathless tone.

"Tell her what?" The Doctor used the last of his strength to press himself up, whispering something in her ear before falling back down. Mels smiled, tears in her eyes and she nodded, "Well, I'm sure she knows." She pulled away and Danni let out a heart wrenching cry as he laid there, eyes closed and motionless. Across the room, Rory held his wife tighter as they realised what was happening. Danni laid on his chest, listening to his hearts slowing down and she clung to his jacket.

"Please." She whispered, "Please don't leave me now, Theta." River watched her friend crumble, surprised at how much pain she was feeling. All because of what she had done. The girl had saved her, become her friend, and... okay, well she had shot her but that was nothing in the grand scheme of things. She stood up, backing away slowly from what was quickly beginning to feel like an intrusion and up to her parents.

"Who's River Song?" She asked them quietly and Amy's eyes narrowed angrily. She turned to her duplicate, stood motionless and emotionless across from them.

"Are you still working because I'm still a relative?" The robot didn't reply, "Access files on River Song."

"Records available." The Teselecta stated.

"Show me her. Show me River Song." Slowly the machine transformed, turning from Amy to a replica of Melody, different in clothing only, who's eyes widened in shock. She turned to Danni.

"You knew." She stated out loud, "You knew it was me." Danni looked up, looking broken and nodded.

"I knew before I was even brought here. Melody Pond, the woman who marries the Doctor." She replied.

"But you..."

"I may say things when I am angry." She started, "But never once have I ever actually blamed you. I wanted to. I've tried so hard to be angry at you, but I can't. You've never done anything wrong." She turned to the Doctor, stroking his face, "Now, wake up you moron. Please." Mels looked down, feeling slightly ashamed even though she hadn't actually hurt her yet. She was so forgiving, and all she had done is try and hurt her further. She straightened slightly, an idea popping to mind. If the Doctor is what made her happy, she would make sure that he was always there for her. Danni promised to protect her always, but now it was her turn.

"Melody, what did he say? The Doctor gave you a message for River Song. What was it?" Amy asked but she didn't say anything as her hands started glowing, a strange hum in the air that made her parents step back in trepidation, "What's happening? What are you doing?" Danni looked up and Mels smiled, crying happily as she saw Danni visibly perk up, seeing what she was about to do and she laughed.

"Just tell me." She said to Danni, "The Doctor, is he worth it?" She nodded, scrambling out of the way.

"More than anyone you will ever know." Mels shook her head, kneeling down by him.

"No, that's you." The Doctor's eyes fluttered open and he faked a look of surprise. It had worked, she's realised how she could help. It was the least she could do for making his Danni-Girl cry, and from now on he could ensure he would never have to leave her again.

"River? No! What are you doing?" He croaked. Of course, Danni could never know that. If she knew this side of him... Well, he had to fake surprise.

"Hello, sweetie." Mels whispered, leaning down and pressing her hands against his chest, blinding them all with an orange glow.

_~0~0~0~_

Melody Pond slowly came to in a blue hospital room, with vague images of Danni and Amy hovering over her. Danni had been tearful with happiness, telling her how proud she was and how much she owed her, but really it was the least she could do for marrying her man in the future. There had to be a reason for it, she had already decided that was what she would work towards. History, legends, eye-witness accounts. Maybe she should try and get into a university, study history?

She looked to her side, double-taking at the small TARDIS-shaped book lying on the bedside table. She sat herself up and picked it up, quickly flipping through it. The pages were blank, so it was a notebook. Why was it left here? She opened the first page and saw what appeared to be a letter written on the cover.

_Dear Melody._

_Well, you'll probably be River now, won't you? Either way, this is your new notebook. In it you will write all your adventures with the Doctor and me, all the places we will see, to keep track because you can take it from me, it's not easy to work out where you've been._

_My writing is a bit messy because I'm rushing, I don't want the Doctor to see this, so keep it to yourself, okay? Okay, I just wanted to tell you thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving him and even though we still have a lot to work through, my life would be pointless without him._

_The past Danni's will treat you oddly, they may not be the most welcoming or friendly but know that I will always be there for you, just like you promised me. Or will promise me. Oh, there's another thing, brush up on your tenses. They're bloody hard._

_Oh, and never wear that dress if you can help it._

_Be good to yourself,_

_Love Danni._

Melody – now River Song – closed the book with a smirk. She still had a chance.

_~0~0~0~_

In a dark library in the middle of the Luna University, an old professor sat in front of a bushy-haired woman.

"So, then, tell me..." He asked her, placing her application on the table between them, "why do you want to study archaeology?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, Professor," River leant forward, clutching the TARDIS diary in her hands. She smirked the smile of someone with an inside joke, "I'm looking for a good woman."

_~0~0~0~_

_Hey, sorry it's so late, but at least it's here *hopeful smile*_

_I hope you liked the little twist I gave Melody/River. I've read so many fanfics where she's been in love with the Doctor, or with him and whichever the OC is there, but I don't think it's ever been just the OC. I may be wrong about that, but that's just in my experience ^_^ So, she's always going to be looking for Danni, not the Doctor._

_I won't keep you long, just that as always your reviews were lovely and each one made me smile brightly. Please, let me know what you think and if you have any questions, you can either ask me here on on Tumblr (dannifielding)._

_Love you all! xxxx_


	5. A Lot of Jack

Gwen flicked through the mail, even after working there for quite a while she still couldn't believe people actually mailed them, walking up to Jack's office. Nothing was of note, all useless pieces of information they'd already worked through, but then there was this one letter, in a yellowed envelope addressed only to 'My Captain'. She walked straight in, seeing Jack sat behind his desk with his phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder as he typed on his computer. He shot her a smile, indicating her to wait a moment before turning back to his conversation.

"Look, Steve, I promise I'll look into it." He told the man on the other side of the phone, "You know I will, when have I ever lied to you before?" He chuckled, "You know what, don't answer that. I'll catch you later." He hung up, grinning at Gwen, "He'll believe anything I tell him." He explained before leaning back in his chair, "What can I do for you?" She held out the letter.

"It's to 'My Captain'." She told him as he took it off her, "Seems to be rather old paper." He used his finger to prise open the flap. Inside was a plain blue card, a blue he knew all too well and he opened it up, confetti bursting out and covering his desk. Gwen was surprised at just how happy he seemed as he read the inside '_Told you! Outside, 2 mins x_'. He shot up, running around Gwen who chased him to the stairs, Ianto appearing and looking just as shocked at his behaviour.

"Where's he going?" He asked Gwen, who just shrugged in reply and the pair followed him up, meeting Owen on the way who was just as lost as they were.

"Jack?" Gwen started as they joined him by the large water feature that hid their exit point, "What's going on?"

"Oh, my friend's coming." He replied and they all looked at each other, wondering if they were all thinking the same thing.

"Is it that 'Doctor' bloke?" Jack shook his head.

"Nope." He grinned, "Someone even better." The air filled with a wheezing noise that none of the hundreds of tourists seemed to hear, and the TARDIS slowly came into existance in front of them. Owen was suspicious of it, Gwen amazed and Ianto almost pouted at the fact Jack seemed to be so excited over the arrival of this person. The door opened and Jack started slightly at the blonde Danni that stepped out, dressed up in a pair of skinny black jeans and a grey flowery tunic dress. She had a little black bow in her hair as she turned on the spot at the door closed behind her and the TARDIS flew away. She sighed sadly, watching it go before turning and smiling slightly in surprise at the four people who had come to meet her.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a landing party." She told them, "But how lovely."

_~0~0~0~_

"So, was that a 'mean Ten'?" Jack asked with quotation marks as he lounged back in his office chair. He'd taken her hand and rushed her back into the base, chattering on about how glad he was to see her looking so healthy again. She didn't really know what _that_ meant, so she'd shrugged and told him just that.

"No, that was Eleven." She replied quietly, not really caring how he knew about 'mean Ten'. She'd probably explained it to him sometime in his past, so she didn't have to worry about that now.

"You mean the one with the bow tie?" Jack asked and she nodded, "But he didn't even come out to say goodbye. You told me he hated being away from you." She nodded, about to explain what had happened when the door opened and Ianto walked in carrying a tray with three cups on.

"Sorry," He apologised for interrupting them, "I just thought you'd like a drink. I didn't know if you'd want tea or coffee, so I brought both." Danni smiled fondly, standing up and taking the tray off him. She placed it on the desk and pulled him into a big hug, the man freezing underneath her tough.

"Oh, it's so good to see you Ianto." She muttered before pulling back, looking him up and down. She let him go and motioned up and down him with her finger, "But you don't know who I am, do you?" He shook his head, about to explain himself but she sighed, flopping back into her chair, "I knew it. It's that look, you see? All my friends shoot me it at some point. It's the 'who the hell is that?' face." She turned to Jack, smiling fondly, "You did it to me too, remember? In the hospital with the gas mask people." He chuckled, nodding in remembrance.

"You jumped on me screaming my name." He recalled, "What an entrance."

"You're Danni?" Ianto asked in surprise and she nodded, grinning slightly.

"So you _do_ know who I am?" She asked.

"Sort of." He replied, "I've heard of a lot about you. I was just expecting you to be, well..."

"Ginger." She finished and he nodded.

"Yeah." She reached up, twirling a strand around her finger, deflating slightly.

"You hate it, don't you?" Jack realised and she nodded.

"Can't stand it." She muttered, looking at it, then her knees as she let it fall around her face again.

"Then why dye it?" She sighed, tears springing to her eyes as she refused to look at either of the men.

"Because the Doctor likes my red hair."

_~0~0~0~_

Jack rarely went home after work, preferring to spend his time at the hub around the people he cared about and the job he loved, but some things were just not appropriate for an office setting, so he'd bundled Danni into the back of his car and taken her to his place. After taking her to a friend he knew to sort out her hair. She obviously wasn't happy with it, and he wasn't having that so he'd insisted that she tried to dye it back to a colour at least close to her original, so that as it grew out she wouldn't have to deal with it being blonde. She'd refused until he'd threatened to call the Doctor back and then she'd relented. She was currently sat on his sofa, almost cuddling the cup of tea he had made her in a sulk as he flopped down beside her, chucking an arm over the back.

"So, what's the moron done now?" She giggled slightly, watching the liquid in her cup settle flat.

"Have I ever told you about River Song?" She asked him and he frowned in thought.

"The woman who marries the Doctor?" He tried and she sighed.

"That's the one." She didn't carry on and Jack nodded slightly before sitting up straight in realisation.

"Wait, he actually married her?" He exclaimed angrily.

"On the top of a pyramid. It restarted reality, but that's not happened yet." She confirmed, "He told me he'd always loved her and married her, right after asking _me_ to marry him." Jack shook his head, looking rather angry and he reached into his pocket.

"Right, I'll call him back and then punch him right in..." She placed a hand over his, stopping him dialling the Doctor's phone.

"No, don't do that." She told him quietly, "The thing is, I don't think he does love her. And she certainly doesn't love him. Not like that, anyway."

"How do you know?" He asked and she leant back.

"Because she's my friend." She explained, "In my old universe, she does love him. She's completely obsessed with him, actually." She twisted slightly, resting her head against the back of the sofa, "She was stolen from her parents and raised by the Silence to be their weapon against the Doctor. She was perfect, because she's part Time Lord from exposure to the Vortex during conception."

"Oh." Jack said, "I see why that would be useful." Danni nodded.

"She was brainwashed with everything bad the Doctor had ever done." She continued, "And over time that grew into an obsession. Then, after she actually succeeded in killing him, it twisted in her head and she fell in love with him. He loves her back, they get married. It's all good. But in this universe, something went wrong."

"What?"

"Me." She replied, "When she was little, the Silence held her in an abandoned orphanage and would occasionally feed her to an Apollo spacesuit." She waved away his confused look, "Yeah, it's not really worth explaining right now. In my universe she gets out on her own, but I helped in this one. In freeing her, she was able to escape and return to her parents. I saved her, so it was me she was interested in. The part of her brain that had been obsessed with the Doctor was replaced by me. So, nothing twisted, she doesn't love him."

"Right, I get that." He told her, pulling her over so she was resting against him. She snuggled herself onto his chest, "What about him, though? You said he told you he loved her." She nodded.

"He did." She agreed, "But I... I've met many future versions of the Doctor, much later than the one on top of that pyramid. I can tell you they love me. A lot." She looked up at him, "It used to really scare me how much he loved me. Still does, because I'm going to have to leave him eventually. Everyone always does, and I don't want him to get hurt."

"Okay, so he doesn't love her." He conceded. He did actually know that, other Danni's had told him about the Eleventh Doctor. And shown him pictures. He stifled down the snort at the thought of that ridiculous bow tie, "Why did he marry her?"

"To get her to touch him, to restart time and stop the universe from eating itself." Danni replied instantly and he frowned.

"I'm not really seeing the problem." He admitted, "He doesn't love her, she doesn't love him and he's hopelessly hung up on you. It's just a piece of paper."

"Not even that." She corrected, "It happened in an alternate time line. It's not even a proper marriage."

"So why are you so upset?" She sighed.

"He promised me he wouldn't." She sat up again, fidgeting because she was angry, "He spent all the time from Doctor-Donna," She held her hand out, showing a distinct line before looking up at Jack with a thoughtful look, "Do you still have his hand?" She asked, surprising him. He shook her head, "Right, so from the Doctor-Donna," She bounced her hand once, enforcing the line, "Which is roughly now, to the top of the pyramid." She held her other arm out as far as she could, using her other hand to indicate the end of the time line, "Which is about 200 years, _promising_ me he wasn't going to marry her. Constantly, every little paranoid voice in my head was silenced by him promising me he wasn't to do it. And he did it anyway." She turned, tucking her foot underneath herself, "There are so many ways to get someone to touch you. He didn't need to break that, but he chose to. I've never asked to promise to marry me, or to never go off with other women when I'm dead and buried. We've tried to make the best of what quite frankly is an awful situation, I don't think I've asked too much of him. But how can I believe in anything if he did that to me?" She looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes as she silently begged him for an answer. She had no idea what to do. Part of her wanted to move on, but how could she when a very large part of her was questioning everything he said to her. What if he was lying, again? What if he wasn't, but would backtrack at a later date? She didn't know if she could live like that.

"Because," Jack leant forward, cupping her face in his hand, "Because he bloody loves you."

"But..." She started but he shook his head, wiping a tear away from her cheek.

"He does." He repeated, "But we both know Bow Tie's an idiot." She giggled, nodding with a sniff, "I mean, do you know why he wears it? Seriously, did you not think to stop him?" She laughed again and he smiled at the smile on her face, "He's an idiot, and he probably really didn't know what else to do. He's spent 200 years insisting that he wasn't going to do it, it was probably the only thing running through his head."

"Okay, I can accept that." She stated, "But then why ask me to marry him? He said that if I told River to touch him, then we'd get married." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Because he wants to marry you." He replied incredulously. She shook her head, her brows furrowing and she raised a finger as she took a breath to argue before pausing, holding the breath for a moment. Her finger went to her lips as she looked off to the side, considering what he had said before she turned to him, eyes wide.

"Hold on." She exclaimed, "Are you telling me he _actually _was proposing?" Jack chuckled and shook his head, standing up and stretching.

"You're both as bad as each other." He told her, "I'm getting a drink." He headed to his kitchen, pulling out a bottle of vodka.

"Son of a bitch!" He heard her shout and he chuckled again, raising the shot of alcohol to his lips as the flash of light from her disappearing illuminated the hallway outside.

_~0~0~0~_

Martha kept looking left and right, jumping at flickering shadows as she entered the disused warehouse. In one hand she held a white plastic bag filled with portions of chips. There was a fire flickering in the middle the Doctor sat next to it using a large wooden bobbin as a desk for the laptop. Jack stood slightly apart from him, typing on his vortex manipulator. He looked up as Martha approached.

"How was it?" He asked her.

"I don't think anyone saw me." She replied as she pulled out a portion for him, "Anything new?"

"I've got this tuned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing." He pointed at the manipulator and she glared annoyed at him.

"Yeah, I meant about my family." She stormed towards the Doctor, handing him his portion.

"It still says the Jones family taken in for questioning." The Doctor told her, "Tell you what, though, no mention of Leo."

"He's not as daft as he looks." She replied with a smile, it falling as she realised what she was saying, "I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen?" Jack walked over and sat in a chair they had found, munching on his portion of chips.

"Nice chips." The Doctor pulled one out and bit into it, nodding in agreement.

"Actually, they're not bad." He ate the rest of it before going back for more. Martha sat on a disused barrel as she shot Jack a look. He replied with one of his own and she nodded in the Doctor's direction.

"Oh bastard!" A female voice cried and in a flash of light Danni skidded across the floor on her front. She sat up next to the bobbin coughing slightly and she looked around.

"A warehouse? Oh for gods sake, why is it never a beach? I want to go to Space Florida!" She exclaimed angrily. The Doctor smiled wildly at her, helping her up and she sighed unhappily.

"Oh, that's bloody brilliant, isn't it? You're the wrong one, how am I supposed to be mad at you when you've not done anything yet? I'm getting sick of this, I just want to stay still for two bloody minutes!" She checked who else was there and smiled when she caught sight of Martha and Jack.

"Ah, Captain Flash and Martha Jones. Together, that means" She looked up in thought, "the end of the universe," She tallied off her thoughts on her fingers as she went, "that means Master returning, that means Vortex Manipulator back, Martha's mum being double crossed, on the run, chips..." She trailed off for a moment before pointing at her, "Ah Ha!" The three jumped as she exclaimed happily, "The Sound of Drums! Where are we up to? We're in a warehouse, so, oh are you about to tell them about the Master? Let me get comfortable." She walked over Jack and perched herself on the arm of his chair, "Hello again, Captain. I've just come from you, you know?"

"Hello again, Danni-Girl." He replied, not at all fazed by the fact she'd been with another version of himself, "Love the new outfit." He told her, looking her up and down.

"Why thank you. You don't look half bad yourself." Jack shifted so he could talk to her properly when the Doctor coughed impatiently.

"Can we not flirt now? Please?" Danni rolled her eyes before motioning him to continue, crossing her arms. This was an younger version of the Doctor, obviously, but it still didn't stop her being slightly angry at him. Not as angry as she had been, bloody Future-Jack, but still rather cross. At least with a younger Doctor she could pretend nothing had happened. Ten didn't do anything wrong, so she could rationalise not being angry with him. Martha-Doctor didn't even make the promise, so it was fine. She nodded, having convinced herself that it was okay to not be angry at him. Not because of the fact that he'd _proposed _to her. Or the fact she suddenly really wished she'd said yes. Oh god, she was pathetic!

"So, Doctor, who is he?" Jack asked, bringing her back with a hanging of her head, "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"

"And what is he to you? Like a colleague..." Martha added.

"A friend, at first." The Doctor told them before eating another chip.

"I thought you were gonna say he was your secret brother or something." Martha admitted. The three paused with chips up to their lips, Danni helping herself to Jack's, and they stared at her in disbelief.

"You've been watching too much TV." The Doctor told her. She replied with a half-hearted chuckle and they all continued eating.

"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect." Jack prompted, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe. And it was, it was beautiful." He leant back in his chair, getting comfortable as he reminisced, "They used to call it the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords." The three watched him intently, only being able to imagine what it was like. Danni stood and moved to sit on the arm of his chair, rubbing his arm to try and comfort him, she knew how hard it was for him to talk of his home, of what it was before the Time War. "The oldest and most mighty race in the universe looking down on the galaxies below sworn never to interfere only to watch. Children of Gallifrey were taken from their families at the age of eight to enter the Academy. And some say that's when it all began. When he was a child; that's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism...it's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired some would run away and some would go mad." He shook himself out of this memories, "I don't know." He began eating his chips in earnest.

"That's so horrible." Danni whispered, slightly upset at the thought of not only the Master having to stand there going mad, but the Doctor having to look into that unbearable majesty. He looked up at her, surprised at her response and he squeezed her hand before offering her a chip.

"What about you?" Martha asked gently. Danni paused mid-bite.

"Oh, the ones that ran away. He never stopped." She replied with a smile. Jack's manipulator beeped and he put his chips down to check it.

"Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognise it." The Doctor finished up his portion, leaning forward and licking his fingers clean.

"Patch it through to the laptop." Jack looked uncomfortable.

"Um, since we're telling stories, um, there's something I haven't told you." He admitted. The Doctor frowned but Jack ignored him as he attached the manipulator to the laptop.

"It's not fair. Your manipulator is so much more useful than mine." Danni moaned quietly as she watched him work.

"Mines not broken."

"Anymore." Danni added before leaning in close, "Don't worry, once you explain what you've done with your branch, he'll understand." Jack paused and looked at her, confused before laughing slightly in disbelief.

"You're always one step ahead, aren't you Danni-Girl?" She brushed her fingers against her top smugly.

"That's what I've been told."

_~0~0~0~_

_Okay, there are two reasons this chapter may seem a little disjointed. One is because I wanted to show Danni can jump anywhere, even before she had time to process anything. And two, which isn't quite as important as one, I wanted to get to the Master XD So, mash-up chapter!_

_I couldn't believe all the lovely words you all sent to me, I'm grateful for every single one. I'm glad you like the River twist, it'll come to play later on in the story, but obviously not yet. We have Mr Saxon here first :)_

_So, a couple of notes on reviews._

_Yes, I'm doing Angels Take Manhatten. I don't think I'm spoiling too much by saying it's near the very end of this story ;)_

_I know, I need to do more Nine. For a start, we need to see when he meets Danni for the first time. Oh, it's a hoot XD It's just that I didn't want to do every episode, and so with him having so few and Danni not meeting him in the first one, I've only got a few left to choose from :( I'll have to think of an original story. Feel free to send me ideas for that XD_

_As for a Pre-9 Doctor, I have thought about it. I just know absolutely bugger all about them and don't think I'd do them justice. But, for now at any rate, there are two One-Shots out there involving past Doctors, written by some pretty lovely authors. One's called Misfire, by TheQueenOfSocks, and is / s / 10061328 / 1 / Misfire, and the other is Duck and Cover by Oreithyia and is at / s / 9869485 / 1 / Duck-and-Cover_

_Oh, and a special shoutout to VortexFM who left me an absolutely epic review, in content as well as in length, and I felt I should say thank you publicly :)_


	6. The Sound of Drums

"You work for Torchwood?" The Doctor asked angrily as he caught sight of the Torchwood logo on the laptop screen.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now." Jack explained.

"Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?!"

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it. And when I did that, I did it for you, in your honour." Jack defended passionately, needing him to see why he had done it. The Doctor glared at him for a few moments before opening the file sent through the channel. The image of a blonde woman appeared on the screen, talking into a camera on what appeared to be her computer.

"If I haven't returned to my desk by 2200 hours, this file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means, if you're watching this, then I'm…" The woman trailed off as she thought of the implications of what she had just said, "Anyway, the Saxon files are attached. But take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel Network." The screen switched to a drawn image of the Earth, surrounded by satellites as well as close ups of the satellites themselves.

"What's the Archangel Network?" The Doctor asked.

"A mobile phone network." Danni replied as Martha pulled her phone out.

"I've got Archangel. Everyone's got it." She flipped it open and handed him it.

"'Cause, look, it's gone worldwide. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel." The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver out and used it on the phone.

"It's in the phones!" He cried triumphantly, "Oh, I said he was a hypnotist! Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." He slammed the phone against the makeshift table and it began emitting four steady beeps. Danni's eyes slammed shut as she covered her ears with her hands, not wanting to hear that infectious sound again. She'd finally arrived at a place where she wasn't missing it anymore, her mind being too preoccupied to give it much thought, and she was worried that once she heard it again she'd crave it again. Jack looked at her concerned, but didn't say anything, "There it is. That rhythm, it's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."

"What is it, mind control?" Martha asked.

"No, no, no, no. Subtler than that. Any stronger and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code… Vote Saxon. Believe in me. Whispering to the world." He explained before jolting slightly in realisation, "Oh, yes! That's how he hid himself from me. 'Cause I should have sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. I should have known way back. The signal cancelled him out." Unable to bare listening to them four beats any long, Danni snatched the screwdriver out of his hand and held it to the phone, shaking slightly as she set it off and the noise stopped.

"Let's...Let's just shut that up for a moment, so we can all hear each other." She reasoned. Any similar beat, any steady four beat rhythm would send her pining for the noise the Silence put in her head and she would _not _go back there. No chance. The other three shot her confused and concerned looks but she just waved at them to continue, leaning on Jack for support.

"Any way you can stop it?" The impossible man asked.

"Not from down here. But now we know how he's doing it."

"And we can fight back!" Martha exclaimed happily and he looked up at her, grinning.

"Oh, yes!" He set to work ripping apart the mobile and laptop, getting Martha to help him. Jack watched Danni for a moment as she watched them, biting her thumb nail and trying to calm herself down.

"Want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked her quietly.

"I can't hear that noise. Ever. If you ever see me and I'm beating, or tapping out that four beats you have to stop me." She replied.

"Why?" She smiled apologetically at him.

"Can't say, sorry. It's not happened yet."

"Ah, Future Danni stuff?"

"Past Danni for me." She corrected, "Not too long ago for me, actually. It's just bad for me to hear it, and that's all you need to know."

"TARDIS keys." The Doctor demanded and the three handed theirs over to him before he took out his own and used the sonic screwdriver and a pencil to weld on his newly-created circuitry onto them. He attached them to pieces of string he had found and pushed them over to him.

"Four TARDIS keys, four pieces of the TARDIS with low-level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in." He explained, frowning as even he realised that the TARDIS didn't exactly blend in, "Well, sort of, but… Now! The Archangel Network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and… Martha, look at me. You can see me, yes?" He asked her as he stepped slightly back.

"Yep!" She confirmed.

"What about now?" He slipped his key over his neck and Martha visibly looked to the left of him and she frowned, blinking and trying to focus on him. Jack chuckled and Danni smiled.

"Aww, she's so cute." Danni muttered.

"No, I'm here. Look at me." He waved but no matter how hard she tried, Martha couldn't focus in on the Time Lord.

"It's like…I know you're there but I don't want to know."

"And back again." He took off the key and rushed back over, "See? It just shifts your perception a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed. Oh, I know what it's like. It's like—it's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like." He smiled happily at his analogy as he grabbed Danni's hand and pulled her outside with him, "Come on!" He called back to the pair.

"God you're an idiot sometimes." Danni told him and he frowned.

"Why?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie." She patted his arm reassuringly and his smile grew. The street was dark and empty, but they walked quietly in a row, the Doctor still holding Danni's hand as if he was afraid to let her go.

"Don't run. Don't shout. Just keep your voice down. Draw attention to yourself and the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows."

"Like ghosts." Jack added.

"Yeah, that's what we are. Ghosts." With a last look at each other they each placed a key around their necks and headed off into the city. They walked past two people talking, then manoeuvred around another two who were not going to move out of the way. The two men strode off ahead, barely phased but Martha looked back at the people, a bit overwhelmed. Danni fell back slightly to join her.

"Creepy, isn't it?" She whispered and Martha nodded.

"I can't believe this is actually happening." She admitted. Danni shrugged.

"Well, let's not believe it together." She held her hand out to her friend and Martha smiled gratefully and took it. Danni grinned back and began pulling her gently to catch the other two up.

_~0~0~0~_

When Airforce One landed down on British soil, they were already waiting on the runway, unnoticed by all of the security staff waiting for the President of the United States to arrive. The Master and Lucy, his wife, were flanked by their own escort as the President approached them purposefully. The Master saluted mockingly.

"Mr President, sir!" He greeted happily.

"Mr Saxon. The British Army will stand down. From now on, UNIT has control of this operation." The President told him calmly, not expecting any arguments from the Prime Minister

"You make it sound like an invasion." The Master pointed out.

"First contact policy was decided by the Security Council in 1968. And you've just gone and ignored it."

"Well, you know what it's like. New job, all that paperwork. I think it's down the back of the settee. I did have a quick look. I found a pen, a sweet, a bus ticket and uh…have you met the wife?" Danni had to chuck her hand over her mouth to stop herself giggling at him, she couldn't believe that anyone would believe he'd just hand over the entire operation just like that.

"Mr Saxon, I'm not sure what your game is but there are provisions at the United Nations to have you removed from office unless you are very, very careful. Is that understood?" The Master mimed zipping his lips closed, an action that just annoyed the President more, "Are you taking this seriously?" The Master nodded, "To business. We've accessed your files on these…Toclafane. First contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. For that purpose, the aircraft carrier Valiant is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8:00 am." The Master makes muffled noises through his zipped lips and the President visibly tensed, "You're trying my patience, sir." he warned. The Master unzipped his lips.

"So America is completely in charge?"

"Since Britain elected an ass, yes. I'll see you onboard the Valiant."

"It still will be televised, though, won't it? Because I promised, and the whole world is watching."

"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching. Me." The President walked off to his waiting car and the Master turned to his wife, whispering something.

"What did he say?" Jack whispered, fuming at the mere sight of the man.

"'The Last President of America.'" Danni replied quietly, even after all the time she'd been in this universe and the issues she'd had remembering episodes, she still knew these two episodes practically off by heart. The Doctor looked down at her, surprised as she watched the Prime Minister intently. He was memorising...

"We have a private plane ready and waiting." The Master continued, "We should reach the Valiant within the hour." He motioned for his wife to go first, "My darling." He watched the President drive off as Lucy climbed into their car before turning and staring in their direction. They all stood rigid as it appeared he and the Doctor exchanged looks, but as a police van turned up with it's sirens blaring the spell was broken. He rushed over as the Jones family was taken out and he jogged backwards in front of them as they protested scared and angrily.

"Hi, guys! All will be revealed!"

"Oh my God." Martha whispered and Danni grabbed her hand, the Doctor holding her still.

"Don't move." He warned her.

"But…" She protested as they were loaded into a Land Rover against their will.

"Don't."

"I'm gonna kill him." Martha swore but she didn't move as they took her family away.

"Say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack mused. The Doctor looked over at him.

"Now that sounds like Torchwood." The Doctor told him.

"Still a good plan." Jack replied.

"We're not here to kill him," Danni stated quietly as she didn't take her eyes off the Master, feeling herself being pulled to him, "We're here to save him." Knowing that there, just in front of them, was the source of the original sound of drums, that she could in theory run over and beg him to let her hear it was almost unbearable and she had to force herself to pay attention to anything but him. No matter how much she tried to deny it, all she wanted was to hear it one last time.

"What?" Jack asked.

"He's a Time Lord, which makes him my responsibility." The Doctor confirmed. Jack pressed some buttons on his manipulator.

"Aircraft carrier Valiant. It's a UNIT ship at 28.2N and 10.02E." He told them.

"How do we get onboard?" Martha asked.

"Does that thing work as a teleport?"

"Since you revamped it, yeah. Coordinates set." The Doctor grabbed Martha's hand, placing it on top of the manipulator first, then Danni's and then his own before activating it and they disappeared in a flash of light, landing in one of the Valiant's engine rooms. Martha gasped in pain, grasping the side of her head while Jack clung to a handrail for balance. The Doctor landed very little worse for wear, Danni next to him looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh, that thing is rough." Martha groaned.

"Tell me about it." Danni replied, feeling more like herself now the Master wasn't right there.

"I've has worse nights." Jack told her, twisting himself and cracking his neck, "Welcome to the Valiant."

"It's dawn." Martha walked over to a porthole, "Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?" the trio joined her, looking out at the massive aircraft carrier as more planes landed on it's landing strips around them.

"A ship for the 21st century. Protecting the skies of planet Earth."

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor led them down some maintenance corridors as they headed for the main meeting room nearer the top of the aircraft carrier when suddenly his stopped.

"We've no time for sightseeing!" Jack hissed but the Doctor waved him away.

"No, no. Wait. Shh, shh, shh. Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Martha glared at him and walked past angrily.

"Doctor, my family's on board." She snapped. He smiled happily as he listened to his TARDIS calling out to him.

"Brilliant!" Danni grabbed his hand.

"This way!" She called, pulling him down some stairs. Martha spun around and followed them through some more corridors until they reached some double doors. The Doctor threw them open and they all cheered quietly in delight. All except Danni, who knew what was coming next.

"Oh, at last!" The Doctor exclaimed and he and Martha ran up to it. Jack was a bit more wary and looked down at Danni.

"What's it doing on the Valiant?" He asked suspiciously. Danni smiled sadly and followed the other two into the blood red TARDIS. They stopped on the ramp as the other two had paused in their run in.

"What the hell's he done?" Jack asked.

"Don't touch it." The Doctor warned.

"I'm not going to."

"What's he done though? Sounds like it's… sick." Martha asked as the Doctor walked around the console. It had been stripped apart and reconfigured, all caged together so that no one could get to it.

"It can't be. No, no, no, no, no, no, it can't be." The Doctor repeated angrily.

"Doctor, what is it?"

"He's cannibalised the TARDIS." He told her.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jack sounded horrified at the sight of the machine.

"It's a paradox machine." Danni confirmed, wanting to reach out and stroke her old friend, but knowing that even though she knew what it was doing she couldn't touch it in fear of setting it off, she sat down next to the cage and stroked the floor around it instead, trying to comfort the sick box.

"This... this is near enough impossible. How has he managed to do it?" Jack asked. Danni looked up at him, a frown on her face.

"He's one of the greatest engineering minds the universe has ever seen, do you really think this was beyond his capabilities?" she snapped. Jack looked at her, more concerned than ever about her behaviour as she defended the Master, but she just turned to the Doctor as he bent down next to her and tapped the gage she was sat next to.

"As soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger.." He grabbed Jack's arm to look at his watch and finish his sentence, but Danni interrupted him.

"At two minutes past 8:00."

"First contact is at 8:00 and then two minutes later…" Jack trailed off, not really knowing what would happen next.

"What's it for? What's a paradox machine do?" Martha asked, still utterly confused.

"It's used to sustain a paradox. Usually the universe sorts them out, but when it can't it'll collapse around it. This keeps the paradox alive without the universe falling apart." Danni told her.

"More importantly, can you stop it?" Jack asked the Doctor. The Doctor shook his head.

"Not until I know what it's doing. Touch the wrong bit and blow up the solar system."

"Then we've got to get to the Master." Martha said decisively.

"Yeah. How do we stop him?" Jack pressed.

"Oh, I've got a way." The Doctor replied vaguely before looking between his friends, a grin on his face. "Sorry, didn't I tell you?" He pushed himself up then helped Danni off the floor.

"You have a plan?" Danni asked incredulously.

"Don't I always?" He replied. She looked at him with raised eyebrows and he pouted.

"Hey!"

_~0~0~0~_

They very slowly snuck into the conference room, the Doctor, Danni, Martha and Jack bringing up the rear. Flashes from cameras went off in random intervals from all sides of the room and everyone's complete attention was on the President, enabling them to go in unnoticed despite the high levels of emotions running through the room.

"This plan, you gonna tell us?" Jack whispered.

"If I can get this," he picked up the key off his chest, "around the Master's neck…cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me…you've got a key." More flashes went off but again no one was alerted to their presence.

"Yes, sir." Jack nodded.

"I'll get him." Martha told them darkly, glaring at the man who had stolen her family.

"I probably won't, but I'll give it a shot." Danni added, knowing they'd never get that far anyway. And even if they could get the keys around his neck, it was already too late. The Toclafane were already here, the paradox was already in place. The Year that Never Was was about to begin.

"And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." The President motioned behind him and four of the floating spheres appeared, "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President-Elect of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon."

"You're not the Master." One of them proclaimed in a male voice.

"We like the Mr Master." Chipped in another, this time in a female voice.

"We don't like you." A third one added. They began zooming around the President menacingly and it was obvious the man was becoming uncomfortable.

"I… can be Master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will." He told them, unsure of what else to say.

"Man is stupid." The third one snapped.

"Master is our friend." The first one said.

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" The female one begged. The Master threw up his hands in defeat.

"Oh, all right then. It's me." He stood up and jumped in front of the gathered committee with a flourish, "Ta-da!" he laughed before composing himself, "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself?" Danni had to silence herself again as she felt a giggle trying to force its way out of her throat, this bit always got her every time, "I don't know. It's crazy!"

"Saxon, what are you talkin' about?" The President demanded and as the Master span to face him, the smile on his face disappeared and he crossed his arms.

"I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you. Kill him." He commanded the fourth Toclafane, who up until this moment had been silent. Spikes flew out of the bottom of the sphere and it shot at the President, disintegrating him. The security staff shot up and pointed their guns at the masses while they tried to run away from the crazy man who began clapping happily.

"Guards!" He cried.

"Nobody move! Nobody move!" The Master ran up to the top of the staircase and turned to face a camera with a huge victorious grin on his face.

"Now then, peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully." The Doctor ran forward, trying to get to him but was caught by two guards, one on either side. They forced him to kneel on the floor in front of the Master.

"We meet at last, Doctor." The Master declared before laughing, "Oh, ho! I love saying that!"

"Stop this! Stop it now!" The Doctor begged.

"As if a perception filter's gonna work on me," He turned to look at the trio, "Oh, and look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which." Jack made an attempt to run over to him but the Master pulled out a laser device and shot him dead, "Laser screwdriver, who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!" Martha and Danni ran over to him, Martha trying to save him but Danni just stroked his hair, "But she's new, pick up another stray on your way here? How very like you. She's pretty, but I do love a red-head." Danni rolled her eyes at him.

"You're very pretty too, but I don't go announcing it, do I?" She snapped before turning her attention back to Jack.

"Ooo, and feisty as well. I like her, maybe I'll keep her instead of making you watch her die. My own little _pet_." Danni looked over at the Doctor, who was trying to keep himself calm at what the Master was saying about her.

"Master, just calm down. Just look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself…" The Master sighed tiredly and turned to the cameras, all of which were pointing at him.

"Oh, do excuse me, little bit of personal business. Back in a minute. Let him go." He commanded his guards and the Doctor was chucked harshly to the floor as he walked down to meet him.

"It's that sound, the sound in your head. What if I could help?" The Doctor tried, trying to think of something, anything to stop the only other Time Lord in the universe.

"Oh, how to shut him up?" The Master made flapping mouth movements with his hand, "I know. Memory Lane!" He sat down on the steps in front of the Doctor, leaning in closely, "Professor Lazarus. Remember him? And his genetic manipulation device? Did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver…" He brandished his screwdriver, "But, ooh, if I only had the Doctor's biological code." He frowned exaggeratedly, before grinning and clicking his fingers, "Oh, wait a minute, I do!" He jumped up and ran over to a silver case, opening it and showing the room the Doctors old hand, "I've got his hand! And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?" He pointed the screwdriver at the Doctor and set it off, causing the Doctor to scream and convulse as he began ageing and ageing. Danni squeezed her eyes shut and chucked her hands over her ears again, this time to try and block it out so she wouldn't scream with him. Jack revived himself on the floor next to them, Martha catching him as he took a huge breath in.

"Teleport." He panted as handed Martha his manipulator and grabbed Danni's hand of the side of her head to place it on the device as well, "Both of you."

"No." Danni stated, ripping her hand away. She was not about to leave the Doctor, not for Jack and not for Martha.

"I can't." Martha protested meekly, so very scared.

"We can't stop him. Get out of here. Get out." He insisted and suddenly the Master stopped, leaving the Doctor now a very old man, panting tiredly from the pain. Martha and Danni both rushed over, holding him up.

"Doctor, we've got you." Danni told him gently as she leant her head on his softly.

"Aw, she's a would-be doctor as well. But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown 'em in all the way from prison-" Martha shot up as guards escorted her Mum, Dad and sister in.

"Mum." Martha stated, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm sorry." Her mother told her, sobbing as she realised what she had done whilst trying to protect her daughter from the Doctor. Martha turned away and dropped back down to the floor by the Doctor.

"The Toclafane," He panted, "What are they?" The Master dropped down, motioning to his ear as if he couldn't hear him, "Who are they?"

"If he told you, your hearts would break." Danni told him gently, rubbing his arm. The Master turned to her.

"And how would you know, my little pet?" Danni glared at him.

"Because mine already has." She snapped back and he frowned, confused.

"Is it time?" The first Toclafane interrupted.

"Is it ready?" The third one asked.

"Is the machine singing?" The female hissed. The Master stood up in the middle of them as they circled around and around. He checked his watch.

"Two minutes past." He climbed the stairs and stood next to his wife, who looked out over the room. He looked down the camera again "So. Earthlings. Basically, um, end of the world." He held his screwdriver aloft, "Here…come…the drums!" He activated it and the room began blaring with 'Voodoo Child' by the Rogue Trader's. Danni jumped but kept a firm grip on the Doctor and the Paradox Machine activated. The Master ran over to a porthole and looked out, waiting. The sound of thunder and lightning signalled the rift tearing the sky apart and billions of Toclafane descended onto the Earth. He ran back over to his wife who was dancing to the music. He blew a kiss down at the Doctor then pulled Lucy up to the bridge where they watched the spheres shower the planet below.

"How many do you think?" He asked her. She looked out in awe at them all.

"I don't know." She replied honestly.

"Six billion." He told her and she gasped. He turned on the outside speaker with a flick of a switch, "Down you go, kids!" He called out and they did.

"Shall we decimate them? That sounds good. Nice word—decimate." He purposefully pronounced the word, " Remove one-tenth of the population!" He called into the microphone. The Doctor whispered into Martha's ear instructions of what to do, while Danni quietly encouraged her. The woman began crying as messages of distress and fear were played over the sound system from the people below. Martha stood slowly, vortex manipulator in hand, leaving the Doctor to lie in Danni's arms. With one last look at her family, then the Doctor and Danni, Martha found the courage to activate the teleporter, landing on the planet below. Jack looked over at the pair and they all shared a sad look, Danni in tears at what was happening. She held onto the Doctor tightly as he was forced to his feet by the Master and dragged to watch the Earth being destroyed from the window. The Master pressed himself up against her, crushing her between the two men on one side as Lucy held onto the elderly man on the other.

"And so it came to pass…that the human race fell and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as master of all and I thought it…good."

_~0~0~0~_

The Earth burned underneath them, the messages for help having long died away into silence as the people below realised no one was coming to save them. The people on board had already been led away, each person now under the command of the new Lord Master of the Earth and leaving Danni, the Doctor and Jack on the floor in the middle of the now deserted conference room. Each man held her close in a huddle as she shook silently in tears. The Master paced around them triumphantly, not saying a word until some of the guards came back.

"Chain _him_ up." he commanded, pointing at Jack who was pulled to his feet from Danni's grasp. Danni clawed after her weakly as he was taken away to the depths of the airship for a year of abuse and torture, his head held high. The Doctor held her back still trying to protect her despite his weakened state. The Master stopped and sat down in front of them, legs crossed in front of him, "But what to do with you two." He mused out loud.

"Leave her alone." The Doctor panted out and the Master frowned angrily, not liking being told what to do.

"It's okay." Danni replied soothingly as she reached up and stroked his hair. The Master's hand shot out and caught her wrist, yanking her towards him. She yelped in surprise and fell forward into his lap.

"Oh ho ho, what's this then? A Vortex Manipulator?" She shook her head.

"No... Well, yes but it doesn't work." She explained quickly.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? Your _assistants _are becoming increasingly stupid." The Doctor glared at him.

"It doesn't work." Danni reiterated hastily, "It's a fixed point, it just shoots me off when and where it likes. I can't even take it off." She took her arm back and tried to undo it to show him, "See, you can't grab it." He roughly grabbed her arm back again and tried for himself.

"A fixed point, on your arm?" He asked slowly.

"It activates randomly and shoots me either forwards or backwards in time. I don't have a choice and no one can stop it." She calmed down slightly as he examined her arm, as intrigued by it as the Doctor and Jack had been when she had shown them it. He yanked her off the floor, gripping the arm tightly.

"I know, you can be my _personal_ maid." He told her with a smirk.

"You- You can keep me with the Doctor, if you like." She replied with a stutter and he laughed before grabbing her hair and pulling it hard, causing her to cry out in pain.

"You do not talk to me like that. I am the Master. Your Lord and Master, and you will do as I say." He marched her over to another guard, chucking her at him.

"Take her to her room."

_~0~0~0~_

_Not much original here, I'm afraid, just setting up for The Year That Never Was XD_

_Hope it's not too bad, I'm a bit ill so editing might be even worse than usual._

_Oh, there's another baby-au up in the Outtakes for those who are interested. Some of you would have already seen it, but it was the unedited version *grr* so I've gone back to change it to how I wanted it. Not much has changed, just added more Rose and a couple of new sentences here and there, but it's there if you want to go read it :)_

_Notes on Reviews..._

_Yes, don't lose sleep over Danni XD I'm glad you enjoyed her so far though ;)_

_Yeah, Jack is awesome like that :) Nope, she doesn't go to Platform One either ;) As for the suggestions, I shall keep them in mind when I feel a bit better XD_

_Master/Danni tease? Hmm, I don't know about that. There's a little bit in here, but there's not long left to the Master goodness so I think I'll make you wait ;)_

_Yes, don't worry, I have plans for another wedding. See the last chapter of Insanity Calling for a sneak peak :)_

_Yeah, for some reason I've been all go over my Sherlock fic (go read ;P) so it's been updated loads, but the chapters are half the size of these ones. As for Danni's hair, I can neither confirm nor deny any more dying at this stage XD_

_You're like me, when I need a cheer-up I go watch the 50th now. Used to be the Doctor's Wife. Ooo, I might go watch that..._

_The Master and Danni? Hmm, wait and see ;)_

_I did think about writing a bit with Eight. Still in the planning stages, so give me a bit of time with that one..._

_Well, what a lovely review :) I'm glad I've portrayed Danni like I'd hoped I had. I've seen a lot of OC's that make River the bad guy because she marries the Doctor, getting in the way of their OC so to speak, but I adore River too. Danni really doesn't blame her, as much as she wants to, she just sees her as someone who she can relate to. _

_Day of the Doctor is in the trilogy, but it's not set until much later in the story, I'd say pretty much one of the last episodes Danni does. Hence the spoilers in it ^_^ AS mentioned above, done another baby one-shot, but I'm debating more smut or not. I feel I've done a bit, so I dunno..._

_That's fine. I try and do that with multi-chapter adventures in stories. I don't want to have to wait to read the entire thing, but at the same time I don't want it to be disjointed. Do what you feel is best sweetie ;)_


	7. The Year that Never Was

_9 Months Later..._

The Doctor sat just outside his tent in the corner when Danni came in wearing her maids outfit, carrying a silver tea-set, her head bent in silent respect as she headed over to him. She crouched down, placing his water bowl on the ground as gently as she could, catching his eye and shooting him a sad smile. He didn't return it, he never did these days, but she knew it helped him to see that she was okay. Every day he expected something bad to happen to her, and it put him on edge because he was helpless to do anything about it. She pushed back up, walking over to the Master, who was sat in his appointed throne at the head of the room with a brunette sat on his knee, giggling gleefully at something he had said. He watched Danni walk up to the stairs out of the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face, looking her up and down as she stopped at his feet. Another of the Doctors friends under his control, to do with what he will; the thought made him grin wider with glee.

"Tea, Master." She announced and he not-so-gently shoved the brunette off his lap.

"Excellent. I hope you brought some water for my pet." He replied to her and she nodded, reluctant to aggravate him by defending the Doctor, it never ended well for the Doctor if someone tried to defend him. He tutted at her lack of response and turned to the woman, "Why don't you go wait in my bedroom? If my wife is there, tell her I won't be long." The brunette nodded and left and Danni began pouring him his afternoon tea as he jumped up and walked over to the Doctor, yanking him up by his chain.

"Come on, Doc. Cheer up. We've had a sighting of Martha Jones, over in Hungary. She's back in Europe, but for how long?" He got no reply and he growled.

"She must be looking for something. What?" Danni moved to stand at the top of the stairs, watching heartbroken as the Master shoved the elderly Doctor into a chair and leant over him. She hated the fact that they had been in the sky for just under 10 months and she couldn't stop him tormenting the Doctor, or anyone else for that matter. She knew she didn't receive the treatment others did, he ordered her about and she had to do what he said but compared to others he wasn't ever cruel to her.

She'd been through various stages during the last nine months. First she'd been terrified about what would happen to her, then she'd settled into a routine so it had slowly fallen away into boredom. She'd spent nights crying herself to sleep over the Doctor out in the main flight deck, all along in his little tent, seemingly with no hope. She'd cried over the Doctor who was married to River, and the Doctor who had promised her it would never happen. She'd cried over Jack, especially when the Master had her tend to him just to see her reaction. Then, one day, she'd just stopped. She wasn't angry at Eleven anymore, she wasn't sad over Ten anymore. Her exciting life of running and helping people had been reduced to serving a very ill man and it had made her sort of... numb to everything. The only thing that mattered to her was hoping that her Manipulator would set off, but the Doctor had once explained to her that if she was in a different time stream it wouldn't be affected. So, she guessed it was the same with different time lines as well. She was stuck here until the end, so there was no point getting upset over it. There was no point getting upset over anything anymore. Nothing happened, no one came. She just woke up the next morning, cold and alone.

"Tell me now, Doctor." The Master hissed but the Doctor turned his head and looked out of the window. The Master moved backwards and raised his hand to strike him.

"I wouldn't do that." Danni's voice floated over and both men's heads snapped to the side to look at her, the Doctor's face suddenly terrified and the Master furious. He walked over to her, slowly walking up the stairs as she suddenly realised she'd said that out loud.

"Should I not? Why don't you tell me why not? Tell me why I should listen to a pathetic little ape like you?" He bit out as he reached her eye level, staring her deep in the eyes with a fury he'd never actually directed at her before. She found that she didn't care, in fact she shrugged as she wasn't even fazed.

"I just wouldn't, that's all." She replied, adding 'Master' onto the end of the sentence as an afterthought.

"Of course, it's not like I'm the Master of the Earth. I don't rule over the human race, doing with them as I see fit. You know nothing, child." Knew nothing? She grinned, a word popping into her head that branched and grew into an idea. Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? She leant closer to him, placing her mouth next to his ear.

"I know more than you think, you best do I say Koschei." She whispered and he jolted backwards, grabbing both her arms and squeezing so hard she tried to pull back.

"How do you know that?" He hissed with his face pressed against her, "Did he tell you?" He demanded, meaning the Doctor. She shook her head.

"No, he didn't. He doesn't know anything, but I do." She replied, "Your name is just the beginning." He let her go, a calculating look on his face before grabbing the sides of her head, trying to force his way into her mind. She quickly pushed him out and away, a frown on her face.

"How did you do that?" He asked, slightly amazed at the ability of the pathetic little human in front of her.

"My mind, my rules. You can't stop me thinking, and I don't want you in there." She replied simply. He studied her, raking his gaze slowly up and down her frame. She was such a small little thing, but she was suddenly holding herself much taller than she had been. He'd thought he'd broken her spirits, but he was delighted to realise he still had time to play with her.

"What do you want?" He asked and she smiled.

"I have a proposition for you. Tit for tat, as it were." She told him.

"Go on." He motioned for her to continue.

"You do something for me, and I'll tell you something useful. Something I know you'll want to know."

"This stinks of a trap, how do I know you're not going to lie?" He eventually replied.

"Because I knew your name." She stated confidently and he considered it for a moment.

"All right, you first." She shook her head.

"My proposition, my rules. Number 1, my request will always happen first. Number 2, only one piece of information per day and number 3, I want you to leave the Doctor alone."

"You never said there were rules." He mocked before nodding, "Fine, what do you want?"

"I want you to leave Jack alone." He looked impressed by her request and bounced over to his main console on the side of the room.

"Stop attacking Captain Flash. Leave his cell immediately." He said into the microphone.

"Master?" A male voice replied, obviously confused.

"Now now, don't make me come find you." He backed away and nodded to her and she smiled.

"The drumming in your head is real. You're not insane, it exists and has always existed." He blinked at her and then grinned manically and ran over, picking her up and squeezing the air out of her lungs in a bone-crushing hug. He dropped her and she coughed in pain, doubling over.

"I knew it! I knew it was real." He crowed in victory, "How is it there?" She tapped her nose.

"I have duties to attend to, if you'll excuse me sir." She turned and walked out, smiling encouragingly at the Doctor who just stared at her in horror at what she was doing.

_~0~0~0~_

The Master had obviously decided that their deal was a good one, as Jack was left alone from that moment on. She'd heard from the kitchen staff, who'd heard from the cleaning staff that there had been orders given to everyone to not enter his holding cell unless expressly told to by the Master himself. Not exactly what she had wanted, she hoped he was still being fed, but she supposed it was what she had asked for. Quite frankly, she was surprised he was going along with it at all. Probably luring her into a false sense of security until he got what he was after and then would go back to torturing him again. Well, at least for now Jack had some respite. If the bargaining became a regular event she'd request to go see him for a day.

"I can't say I'm not totally relieved." Her room-mate Heather told her as they pulled the new white sheet over the Master's bed, "The poor man can't exactly enjoy dying every day, plus now we don't have to clean up after it."

"That's my friend." Danni replied lightly, but in warning.

"I know." Heather nodded apologetically, "But you've never had to clean up after the poor bastard though." Danni shook her head. She didn't, it wasn't her job to look after Jack. But a few months in, the Master had made her sit in on one of his little 'sessions'. Only the once, but she hoped she never had to see it again. Jack had spent the entire time joking and fighting back, trying to reassure her he was okay, but she knew he wasn't, so it hadn't helped much.

"Do you think he'll start hurting him again?" Danni asked timidly and Heather shot her a sympathetic look and Danni smiled sadly, "Why am I even asking? Who knows when he changes his mind." They both placed the pillows back on the bed before heading out, heads bowed as they walked past the guards waiting outside.

She just hoped Jack was okay.

_~0~0~0~_

A couple of days after their initial bargaining, the Master had sent for her to be taken from the kitchens to a small meeting room away from the Doctor and anyone else. He sat at the head of the table in the middle to show that he was still in charge but motioned to the chairs for her to sit down, which she did, flattening her skirt underneath her as she made herself comfortable.

"This is how it will go," He started without any introduction, "You will be brought here every day. You will state your request and _if_ I find it reasonable then I will oblige and you will then give me the piece of information. If I find it unreasonable, you'll be removed. Understood?" She nodded.

"Yes, Master."

"And to prove your knowledge, today you will tell me how you know my name." She nodded again. It seemed reasonable enough, after all he had no idea that anything she said was true, all he had was his name.

"Yes, Master." She repeated.

"Excellent. So, you first." He told her with a dramatic wave. She paused, deliberating over what to ask for. Jack was safe, for now. The Doctor was safe as well for the moment, so she had to focus on other people. Asking to be let go wasn't an option, either. He wasn't going to give up his upper hand, and she wasn't going to leave the Doctor and Jack behind anyway. So, what else could she do?

"I want you to stop rubbing all your little call-girls in Lucy's face." She said slowly, nodding to herself once as she did. At the look on his face she held up her hands, "I'm not asking you to stop shagging them, if you want to go right ahead, but she loves you dearly and I don't like seeing her in so much pain. Just leave her out of it." She had spent the last nine months at the Master's feet, serving him food and doing his laundry. She'd seen Lucy, completely destroyed by the man she thought she loved, and he continued to beat her down by openly having affair after affair. Lucy had never done anything wrong, she didn't deserve to suffer so harshly. Plus, if he toned it down a bit she might be less inclined to kill him, meaning the Doctor wouldn't be so alone in the future.

She shook her head again to clear her thoughts, it was never good to think about the Doctor. It hurt too much.

"Fine." The Master replied after some deliberation, "How do you know my name?"

"I'm from another universe." She explained, "You were on a television show with a massive following, background information was widely available. In the Academy you were known as Koschei." She shrugged, "It's not interesting, but there you go."

"There's a television show dedicated to me?" He asked smugly, grinning from ear to ear, "I like that. I should make that a thing, if my workforce had time to watch television." She shook her head.

"Nope." She told him with a slight hint of satisfaction, "It's called _Doctor _Who." His face fell in indignation.

"Why does he had a television show and I don't?" He exclaimed angrily and she rolled her eyes.

"No one makes television shows about the bad guys." She pointed out, "Overall, he is a good man. He's never taken over a planet to fight a war with the universe." He crossed his arms and she swallowed, the distinct feeling she had crossed some line washing over her as he stared her down. She knew he was waiting for an apology, but she wasn't going to give him one. If she backed down, she'd be at a disadvantage and for once she was almost on top. So she stared straight back at him before raising an eyebrow at the angry look on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked her and she shrugged, breaking their locked gaze.

"I believe I've given you my answer today, Master." She replied, wincing at the slight shake in her voice. Come on, Danni. Grow a pair or get out while you have a chance. The Master chuckled at the annoyed look that quickly disappeared from her face.

"Fine." He motioned to the door, "You are dismissed." She fought the urge to roll her eyes at his last remark, which she always did, before standing up and bowing slightly, like he always demanded before heading out. She was taken to the kitchens, and she spent the rest of the day helping the cooks.

_~0~0~0~_

It was another three days before he called for her again. She suspected this was his way of showing his dominance over the situation, although she thought the large, flying airship from which he ruled the entire planet showed dominance enough but then again it seemed appropriate so she didn't question it. He was in the same room, waiting in the same chair as she entered and sat down in the same place as she had before.

"I would like the Jones' to spend the day together." She requested, "Morning 'til night, no interruptions." She'd thought of this one days ago. She'd tried to think of ways she could help Martha, but she couldn't really do anything for the wandering companion so she settled for the next best thing; her family. The Master pondered on the request, making a show out of the decision as he always seemed to do before nodding.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked her. It was the same question as last time, but she had seen that coming.

"Because, Master, you're being an arse to people I care about. I want to ease their suffering slightly. I know you won't stop, or let them go, I'm not naive. But I like to help any way I can." She explained calmly.

"An arse?" He repeated after a moment and she nodded with a grin on her face.

"A huge one." She confirmed and he smirked at her. They stared at each other for a few long moments before he broke the gaze and called to the guard outside to take her back to her duties.

_~0~0~0~_

Heather glanced over at her strange room mate, who was sat cross-legged on her bed, scribbling on a scraps of paper she'd managed to steal from the Master's office. Personally, she thought she was mad stealing from the man, but Danni had just brushed her concerns aside. Out of everyone on the ship, she was always noticeably less affected by the sudden change in the world than everyone else. They'd all fallen into the routine of what had become daily life, the initial shock and terror of being enslaved by an evil alien having worn off. There was only so long you could sit and cower before it just fell to the background. But Danni didn't even seem to have the background sense of hopelessness that the rest did. Sometimes it worried her, but most of the time Danni did what she could to keep her spirits up and she was grateful for it. After all, she could have been roomed with that silly cow Faye down the hallway who spent every night sobbing for her cat. It was no surprise she had ended up on her own, really.

Danni glanced up from her notes and saw Heather staring at her. She frowned, folding up the paper in her hand and tucking it under her pillow. She'd decided to try and recall as much as she could about anything she felt the Master would have an interest in. Stuff like the End of Time were needed to be kept for bigger requests that should could ask for further down the line, but for some of the little things she had planned she needed suitable pieces of information. She also suspected he'd want past information on the Doctor, stuff he could use while interrogating him now he couldn't physically torment the elderly Time Lord. Maybe stuff about upcoming episodes, The Silence and things like that. Quite frankly, she had no idea what he'd want to know about so the more prepared she was the better she'd come out of it. Hopefully.

Maybe.

"Are you okay?" Danni asked, concerned at the way her new friend was staring at her. Heather was roughly the same age as her, but was mainly on the cleaning side of the staff rather than a general maid like she was. She'd been a PA to one of the many reporters who had come to see the Toclafane, but that had gone out of the window the moment the U. S. President had died.

"It never ceased to surprise me how well you take everything." Heather replied and Danni shrugged.

"It's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me." She reasoned, "I lost my family and my home long ago, this is a walk in a park compared to that really." Heather nodded.

"I try to not thing about it," Heather admitted to her, "But I wonder every day about my parents. Are they okay, are they even still alive? Do they worry about me too?" Danni nodded, all them thoughts and more having been through her head at one point or another over the last couple of years. Two and a half years now, nine months of it on the Valiant with barely any time with the Doctor. She's asked for that next, she decided, "It's the not knowing that's the worst, you know?"

"I do." Danni replied before hanging off the side of her bed upside down, rummaging under it, "I can't offer much on that end of things but..." She pulled out a box, jumping off the bed and walking over, "I can give you this." She opened it up and there, inside, was a bunch of chocolate bars. Cadbury's and Galaxy's, all waiting for them to eat. Heather laughed at the sight of them and the pair sat side-by-side, munching on them and chatting away.

_~0~0~0~_

The Master watched her very closely when she walked into their meeting room, leaning back in his chair with tented fingers. He'd noticed from the beginning that she acted differently around him than most, like she didn't really care either way about it. She wasn't afraid, or angry, or sad. She just got on with it and it really infuriated him for a while. Now it amused him as she flopped on the chair she always sat in, getting comfortable before he told her to tell him her request with a wave of his hand.

"I would like to see the Doctor." She declared, "I want to spend some time with him."

"So you can plan something together? I think not." He scoffed and she shook her head, having expected that response.

"I'm not saying all alone." She explained, "We can stay on the flight deck, there's always guards there and you can keep an eye on us as well. I just want to spend a little time with him."

"Why should I?" He demanded, "We're done here." He wasn't about to give them time to work together, even though he knew they couldn't overpower him he didn't just want to hand them an opportunity to have a go at it. He wasn't an idiot.

"In his personal future he will ask me to marry him." She declared, "And I will say yes." He settled back into his chair again, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

"Why are you telling me that?" He asked, "Why would I even care a little bit about that?"

"Because he does love me." She explained, "Even now it's there. If you can give him time with me, you can take it away. There's only so much information I can give you, I am _only _human after all." He looked thoughtful as he considered what she had said. The Doctor had been silent since he'd worked out where the Toclafane had come from, a little bit of genius on his part yet again, maybe this could get him talking.

"You're trading in your friend of your own end." He stated slowly, "I'm impressed. Friends of the Doctor tend to be on the 'goody-goody' side of the spectrum."

"Friends of the Doctor don't tend to be proposed to by him then have to watch him get married to someone else." She retorted, "I'm trading the man I love in for my own end. I think you'll find that's much more note-worthy." He looked her over again, her red-hair held back by a black headband, matching the short black skirt and top that made up the maid's uniform. He could offer her back to the Doctor, then tear her away from him. She was too cocky for his likely, or just cocky enough, he hadn't decided yet. He could easily manipulator, take away the woman he loved and make her his own. Watch the Doctor crumble as his little human fell at her Master's feet.

Danni's eyes were drawn to his fingers as he thought over what she had told him. He was tapping out that beat, that four-beat noise she had been painstakingly trying to avoid for the last nine months coming out absentmindedly as he continued on with his everyday business. She shifted in the chair slightly, becoming uncomfortable with the images that suddenly shot through her mind at the many ways she could get him to give her that noise back. That was why she'd not thought about it. Not once. None thoughts at all.

"It's as if you're trying to drag out being in here." He remarked, "Most people would have taken my rejection and left but you have spent the time trying to convince me instead."

"Why wouldn't I? I want to see the Doctor and I like spending time with you." She replied with a shrug and he laughed.

"Now I know you're bullshitting me." He told her, leaning forward on the desk and she frowned.

"What would be the point? You know I think you're being an arse." She pointed out and he nodded in agreement.

"And yet you like spending time with me?"

"You're a brilliant man, Master, and I enjoy talking to someone who can string a sentence together." She explained, "And because you're not scared for your life, you'll actually speak. I like talking."

"I've noticed." He muttered and she shot him a pointed look.

"Plus," she continued as if he hadn't spoken, "you have me working with a bunch of women. I need some male company, and if I can get it with someone as good looking as you I'm not going to turn my nose up at it." She continued, playing up to his ego to try and win him over. She just wanted to see the Doctor. It worked, he smirked at her, straightening proudly.

"Ah, so you fancy me? That's why you're telling me all about your little friends." He said in fake realisation. Of course she fancied him, this body was young and handsome. He hoped he could keep it for a while longer, actually.

"That's not why I'm telling you." She corrected.

"Then why are you?" He asked.

"Because I want to make my friends lives just that little bit better. I'm very rarely any use, I just do what I know the Doctor is going to do before he can do it. And, if I can somehow get you on my side you might be able to remove this monstrosity before I get flung somewhere unknown." She showed him her arm, "You are the greatest engineering mind to have ever existed, and I refuse to believe I'm stuck this way." He grabbed her arm and studied the manipulator thoughtfully. She in turn watched him, smiling in triumph. She knew he couldn't resist a challenge, not one as great as this. Her eyes slipped to his bottom lip, protruding slightly from the thoughtful frown on his face. She wasn't lying, this incarnation of the Master was good looking, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. She knew she loved the Doctor, and that in the future he would love her back. Still, the look in his eyes when he looked back at her sent shivers down her spine.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor looked up as the double doors to the flight deck and Danni was marched in by two guards and the Master. The ruled of the Earth shot him a wink before heading over to his self-appointed throne. The two guards took their posts at the doors and he frowned as Danni looked over at the Master expectantly. He nodded his head once and she grinned, turning back to face the Doctor and rushing over to him, falling to her knees and she hugged him tightly.

_~0~0~0~_

_Oh, I'm so so so nervous about this chapter... Please be kind, I really don't know if I've pulled the Master of very well. Oh, if you don't want to review it or anything that's fine. I understand XD_

_Review notes..._

_Hope this is a good start for what I'm planning for their relationship XD_

_At the moment, just a general maid-type person ;) As for the End Of Time, that's happening but it'll be the second to last episode in this part._

_You are too kind, about this and my Sherlock fic XD I liked Dorset too :P Take your time, I'll be eagerly awaiting the next chappie ;)_

_Hehe, I think everyone's wanted to punch him at some point :)_

_As for hurting Danni, depends what you mean by 'hurt' I suppose ;)_

_I love the Master too. So much that writing his name makes me smile XD_

_Force Danni to listen to the drumming? Nah, he'd never do anything like that ;P_


	8. The Request

The Master chucked his head back, his laughter echoing through the dimly lit room. Danni giggled as well, lifting the small china cup to her lips as she took another sip of tea. His fingers were tapping on the arm-rest, not an angry four-beat but a happy one brought on by the laughter her story had brought him. Her eyes were automatically drawn to it, her lips drying out as she watched them pound against the metal.

"And he just let the Angel's touch him?" He asked and she nodded, forcing herself to look away and forget about the noise.

"Spent the whole time in the 1960's." She explained, "Both me and Martha had to get a job because he kept exploding chickens." Over the last couple of weeks, all he'd been asking for in return for her favours was information about the Doctor's past and future exploits. So, she'd started just telling him about the episodes, reciting either what she remembered or what she'd actually lived through.

"And this wasn't, you know," He motioned to his neck, indicating a bow tie and she shook her head.

"No, this was Ten. Eleven..." She trailed off, frowning slightly, "Eleven's encounters with the Angels aren't as funny." The Master leant back, observing her for a moment and she tried to ignore his gaze. He'd do that sometimes, just watch her for a while and it was incredibly unnerving. She couldn't tell what was going on in his head and she really didn't like it.

"I wouldn't waste time missing him." He told her suddenly and she blushed, not realising she was so obvious, "That version of the future no longer exists, he's not going to regenerate. 'Eleven', as you know him, won't ever exist now." Her blood froze in her veins as the breath caught in her throat. She knew that the Doctor had a plan, that time would reverse and they'd all be okay, but he was right. In this time line, the chances of Ten ever following the sequence of events that would lead to Eleven were slim to nil. Her Eleven, her Theta would never exist. Her chest tightened and tears began to build in her eyes. What if the Doctor didn't fix it this time? She'd never see him again, never be held by him. She'd never be able to tell him she was sorry...

The Master suppressed his grin as he watched her crumble at the thought of her precious Doctor not being there. This was working perfectly! Break her down, watch her crumble then build her back up with eyes only for him. He'd have everything she knew in no time. He did the same with Lucy, made her adore him. Humans were so easy to play, emotional and so stupid.

"Oh, don't cry." He told her, reaching underneath the little saucer on the silver tray she'd brought in with her and pulled out a napkin, handing it to her, "I do apologise, I wasn't trying to upset you." She took it with a watery smile, dabbing her eyes dry.

"Sorry, I just forget about what this time line means." She told him before sniffing, "I just miss him." She shook her head, "Like you care." He fell forward onto his knees in front of her, taking his own napkin and wiping her tears away. She seemed to freeze underneath his touch, not out of fright but out of confusion and he inwardly cheered when she didn't pull away.

"It seems to me, Danielle," He started lowly, brushing her red hair out of her face, "That he isn't worthy of your tears. All you have done is try and help him, and he throws it in your face every time." She shook her head.

"No, no he's lovely to me." She protested weakly, although he could tell she was listening, silently agreeing with him.

"I'm sure he is." He told her, "But before I took over the planet, I did some research on our mutual friend, and a name kept popping up. River Song." Her whole body tensed, he'd obviously touched a nerve there, "Time and time again. The woman who killed the Doctor, the woman who _married_ the Doctor."

"It wasn't a real wedding." She stuttered, "He just did it to save everyone." She thought. She was so sure that's why. The Master nodded, sitting back in his chair as he deliberated on it.

"I'm sure you're right." He replied, "The Doctor doesn't lie to you, after all." She nodded uncertainly, "Off you pop then, my little pet." He dismissed her with a wave of a hand and she stood up, giving him a little bow before picking up the tea set and heading towards the door, "I just hope he deserves your loyalty." He called after her and she paused by the door, "After all, he did break your heart." Her shoulders sagged, her head bowed and she left him alone. He allowed the grin to spread across his face as he raised his hand in a salute, looking up at the ceiling. God Bless the Archangel Network.

_~0~0~0~_

Danni kept the tea tray as steady as she could, putting one foot in front of the other as she was lead back to the laundry, the Master's words floating around her head. She knew what he was trying to do, she'd seen enough movies and met enough bad guys to see someone attempting to turn someone else against the good guy. She wouldn't let him do that to her, she knew the Doctor wasn't perfect. Yes, he'd married River but it didn't mean anything. He'd actually proposed to her, and when she finally got back to the right Doctor, she'd chuck her arms around him and repeatedly tell him yes until she had no breath left in her.

Still, why was it still written in history that he married River?

_~0~0~0~_

Danni waited patiently for the Master to show up, slowly walking around the room she'd been taken to. It wasn't their normal meeting room, it was bright and so much larger than that, but it was still a conference room, with a large table and chairs in the middle. She walked up to one the windows letting the daylight stream in and looked down on the world below. She could see the ground as the day was pretty clear and there were barely any clouds underneath them. She placed a palm on the large window, as if she was trying to reach out and touch it. She missed the ground.

"What are you doing?" She turned at his voice, smiling slightly at the annoyed tone.

"Oh, just thinking. You wanted to see me, Master?" She asked obediently. He stared back at her, face blank and she realised he didn't know why he'd called for her, just that he had. Her breath caught in her chest at his slightly bewildered look. Had he just wanted to see her? "I heard you went down to Earth today, did it go well?" She prompted.

"No, not really. The workforce are getting lazy, I'm going to blow up Japan and see if that boosts morale." He drawled, falling back into line with his normal personality. Good, the idea of him wanting to see her and not knowing why, just impulsively calling for her confused her tremendously. Because he was the _Master_! He shouldn't want to see her, and she sure as hell shouldn't like it that he did. She shrugged and turned back to the window.

"If you must, Master. I thought you wanted to kill Martha in front of the Doctor, but if you feel it's best..." she trailed off.

"Jones is in Japan?" He asked quietly, surprised at the offered information. She shrugged again, she actually had no idea but she knew Martha went to Japan at some point during The Year that Never Was. She could have it be today.

"I don't know where she is, Master. But if she is, and you blow it up, you'll never get her." She replied, "Do you go down to Earth often, sir?" She suddenly asked him.

"What?" He snapped out, annoyed she wasn't paying much attention to him, instead her attention was out of the window at the Earth below. He should always be the centre of everyone's attention, _always_.

"I was just thinking how much I miss the ground." She told him with a little laugh, "Which is odd thing to miss, really. You'd think I'd miss my family, or Martha, or even my freedom, but I don't. I miss grass, and pavements and even tarmac. Paths were nice, weren't they?" She turned to him, "Sorry, I'm rambling again." She curtsied in apology, "Is there anything I can do for you, Master, or would you like me to get back to my duties?"

"What's your request?" He asked her instead.

"I'd like some nice pillows in the servant's rooms." She replied quietly.

"And your information?"

"I already told you. Don't bomb Japan, Martha's there." He nodded.

"Go back to work." She curtsied again.

"Yes Master."

_~0~0~0~_

"Can you believe it, though? New pillows? And they're nice." Heather raved on as they stood ironing, today being on laundry duty and there was a lot of staff on the airship, therefore a lot of ironing.

"So?" Danni replied, "Just take it and be happy. If we go on about it then he might change his mind." She warned as she ironed a white shirt. She knew he wouldn't, though. He'd been true to his word every time so far, why would this be any different?

"It's strange, though. All these things keep happening. Did you know the kitchen staff now get a 20 minute lunch break?"

"You don't say." Danni answered non-committally. In fact, he'd been wonderful to her for weeks. He barely had her wait on him anymore, and they could spend hours just talking. It was like he... trusted her, or felt comfortable around her. That didn't make any sense, but she didn't know how else to feel about it. She'd found herself looking forward to being taken to see him, her life was so mundane and miserable, of course time spent with the most exciting thing on the airship would be a highlight. And he did, he listened to her. Everything she'd told him he took to heart, all the pieces of information he'd used. In return, he'd done everything he'd promised to do. He was the first person to take her knowledge of the future and actually do something with it, not just run around and ignore her, falling into the bad situations and death-and-destruction that the Doctor always did. Quite frankly, it threw her completely. Made her feel useful and helpful. And boy, could he make her laugh...

Heather opened her mouth, about to launch into more gossip, they were interrupted by two guard who entered fully and unnecessarily armed.

"Fielding, you're coming with us." Danni frowned at the finality of the command.

"I've already seen him today." She stated, confusing Heather with her calmness.

"You're to be taken to him, now."

"Can I just finish..." She stated but one pointed a gun at her and Heather gasped in fear.

"Now, Fielding." He demanded and she sighed, switching the iron off calmly.

"Okay, okay. Moody much?" She rolled her eyes as them and followed the pair out and to the flight room where the Master was waiting for her, sat at the table tapping impatiently. She smiled happily at the Doctor, who was leaning against the wall by his tent silently.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked as she sat in front of him. He slid a black wristband over to her.

"Put this on." He commanded. She looked at it suspiciously but did as she was told, locking it around her clear wrist. He stood up and grabbed her by the arm, walking her over to the transmat pad in the corner. He turned and waved at the Doctor.

"Don't wait up." he taunted and she was suddenly floating as he activated the transmat, landing with a grunt on the floor. The first thing she noticed was the cold breeze whooshing around her and she looked up, blinking away the light spots in her vision. They were in a green field, trees and hedges bordering the large expanse of land. There were no buildings for miles and no other people, just them two.

"Where are we, sir?" She asked.

"Wales." He replied shortly. She stood up and felt the breeze blow at her, goosebumps rising on her skin.

"I'm cold." She laughed in disbelief as she looked at her arms, "Oh my god I'm cold. And it's ground, actual ground." She turned to him, "Why are we here?"

"If you tell anyone, I will kill every member of the Jones family." He warned her. She blinked, looking around the space they were in again. No one for miles and miles. No metal, no corridors.

"I could run away." She pointed out.

"You wouldn't leave your friends. Plus, that bracelet will electrocute you at the touch of a button." She looked at the black ring around her wrist as he took out his laser screwdriver to illustrate his point.

"Right, no running away then. What am I supposed to do?" He shrugged and sat down on the grass.

"I don't know." He snapped, "Run around? Play? Sing and dance? I don't care, just hurry up about it." She nodded and looked around, trying to decide what to do. She was on the ground, the actual Earth. It was cold, and slightly damp under food, but she was in the fresh air. She pointed at a tree in the distance.

"I'm going to run to that tree and back." She told him, "Please don't electrocute me." He rolled his eyes and she set off in a sprint towards the tree, a grin on her face. The cold air bit at her skin and her lungs burnt as she ran further and further away from him. She wasn't in as good a shape as she used to be, evidently. She reached the tree and leant against it, panting heavily and revelling in the feeling of the bark scratching against her skin. She looked back over at the Master who was sat staring back at her, his legs stretched out in front of him, his fingers tapping out the drumming on the floor in irrational. She blushed slightly, almost being able to feel his gaze one her as he watched her from the other side of the field. She took a deep breath then set off back towards him, still smiling even as foot caught an uneven piece of Earth and she fell to the ground, skidding across the grass and covering herself in green stains. She didn't complain, just picked herself up and finished her journey, throwing herself down next to him.

"Dignified." He mocked. She laughed and laid down on the grass.

"I'm known for my gracefulness." She replied, watching the few clouds slowly pass overhead, "Ha! That one looks like a cow." He frowned.

"A cow?" He asked slowly and she nodded.

"And that ones a star. I haven't cloud-watched in years." He looked up but rolled his eyes.

"You're seeing things." She pushed herself up.

"No I'm not. Look!" She leant in close to face so their eye lines were almost identical then pointed up into the sky, "See? There's its legs, and udders and that's it's head. A cow." She stated confidently. He turned to tell off but paused as she looked up at the sky. It infuriated him, the way she never seemed to be scared of him. She didn't defend him, but even after everything he had done she never flinched away or cowered in his presence like everyone else. She, instead, pointed out cow-shaped clouds to him. Or told him secrets about her friends. And she chatted to him about inane things like missing the ground. As if he would care that she missed grass? He was the_ Master_. He didn't need to be thinking about how sad she was while he had important things to worry about. That's why he had brought her down here; hopefully now he'd be able to concentrate on the final plan instead of her lying in bed, softly crying to herself. Plus, it was just another way to get her on his side. That's it.

"That's not a cow." He snapped, "It's obviously some sort of canine. It doesn't even have udders, you're seeing things."

"Yes it does!" She protested, "Right there." She drew an outline in the air.

"It's not attached." He scoffed.

"They were a minute ago!" She insisted.

_~0~0~0~_

Danni's tongue stuck out between her lips ever so slightly as she, very carefully, threaded the stem of one daisy through the stem of another. The chain she was making was about 15 daises long and was something she hadn't done since she was child. She really should make more time for childish things when the year was up, the Doctor was right when he insisted being a grown-up was boring. She threaded it successfully and smiled to herself.

"Time to go." He declared suddenly and she paused mid-pick before putting the daisy chain down.

"Okay." She stood up and brushed herself down to get rid of stray grass blades. He frowned, standing up next to her.

"I expected more of a fight than that." He told her. She shrugged. He was the Master of the Earth now, and he'd taken time to bring her down to Earth because she'd wanted to go outside. She felt absolutely touched and afraid in equal measures. She also didn't want to go back, but not because she'd become trapped again in that flying metal box. She didn't want to go because then so would he.

"I'm just happy to be here at all." She shifted slightly on the spot, "There is one thing I'd like to do, though, if that's all right. If I don't I'll obsess over it and that's never healthy, is it? Just... just don't electrocute me please." He sighed impatiently.

"Fine. Hurry up." She nodded and wrapped her arms around his wait, resting her head on his chest. He tensed under her and didn't move until she let him go and kissed him on the cheek, her lips just touching the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you," She whispered, the only gratitude she could show him, before stepping back slightly, "Okay, we can go." He pulled his laser screwdriver out and, grabbing her hand, they appeared back on the Valiant. She smiled at the Doctor, who seemed to relax as soon as he deemed she was all right. A quick glance up at the large wall clock told her they'd actually been gone around 3 hours; no wonder the Doctor had been worried.

"Go back to the laundry." Koschei demanded and she nodded, curtsied and left. The Doctor watched her leave as she couldn't stop smiling.

Koschei didn't ask for anything in return.

_~0~0~0~_

That night she dreamt about him. That wasn't new, she was sure she'd had multiple dreams over the last nine months involving the man holding her captive. She was sure she wasn't the only one, either. The man was a domineering thought in all their lives, of course he was going to be present in their unconscious thoughts. But as Dream-Koschei danced her around the black space they were both spending the night in, she was so conscious of the four beats echoing around her head when she woke up she knew her resolve had broken. The thing was, she heard them every night when she went to sleep and was left feeling hollow from their absence. The drumming, she knew was never going to leave her, so what was the harm in hearing it one more time? She knew she was just trying to rationalise it in her head, but she really didn't care anymore.

"I wanted to give my friends something first," She explained to him, crossing one tight-covered leg over the other, "make their lives a bit better. But today I'm going to be selfish." She explained and he smirked.

"I knew there was something about you I liked." She smiled happily at his comment.

"I want to hear the drumming." He blinked at her, obviously not expecting that.

"You want to hear the drumming?" He repeated slowly, unable to comprehend her request. She nodded.

"I know you can transmit it through thought, I want to hear it." He thought about it for a moment before placing two fingers on each of her temples and letting it flow through to her mind. She moaned loudly, her eyes shutting as she leant into his touch. Her breathing hitched and she bit her lip as another moan tried to force it's way out as the four beats filled her mind, flowing through her again, sending fire to the surface of her skin. Just like when she had first focused on the rhythm, everything around her dissolved into nothingness. There was just him, a point somewhere in front of her that fed her the noise she craved. All too soon he broke the connection and she opened her eyes, finding him so close their noses were almost touching. He was surprised by the passion raging in her eyes and she panted heavily with a desire he didn't quite understand.

"Oh my lord, that felt so good." She crowed out, "I miss it so much." She told him and he frowned.

"You miss it?" He whispered, his eyes dropping to her chest, watching it rise and fall rapidly.

"So much. I had it running through my mind for such a short time, I just wanted to hear it again." She slowly came out of her haze and blinked in surprise at the look he was shooting her, one step away from devouring her.

"You will save the universe." She stated suddenly and he jumped back from her.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, genuinely confused and she nodded.

"You will almost destroy the universe, and then you will save us all. Your last act is one of heroism; somewhere in their Koschei still stands tall." She told him and he growled angrily. She gasped as she realised her mistake but it was too late. His hand shot around her neck and he pulled her so their noses were touching.

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That." He bit out, furious. She nodded, scared as he tightened his grip, choking her. He looked ready to kill her, and for the first time she was terrified he would hurt her.

"Of course. Sorry, Master." She whispered and he chucked her back onto the chair. She pushed herself backwards from him and he shook from anger.

"You will leave now." He demanded and she jumped up, bowing.

"Right away. Thank you Master." She turned and ran out in tears. He watched her before growling to himself and placed his hands on his head.

_~0~0~0~_

The next day she knocked instead of entering straight away, which had become the norm. He called for her to enter and she stepped in, closing the door behind her and standing by it.

"You can sit down, you know?" He told her mockingly. She nodded and ran over, sitting in her normal chair with her hands in her lap, staring down at them. He looked at her, her neck already had dark bruises from where he had choked her and a brief flash of regret surged through him but he shrugged it off.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"I would like to see the Doctor." She whispered, "I haven't seen him in days." His eyes narrowed.

"You want to see the Doctor?" He repeated slowly and she nodded.

"Yes please, Master." His hands clenched in anger, that was not what she was supposed to ask for. She was supposed to ask to hear the drums again, not to see that old man.

"No." He barked out and she glanced up, surprised.

"No?" She asked timidly and he nodded.

"That's what I said, have you gone deaf since the last time I saw you?" She shook her head.

"But... but why?"

"I don't need to give my reasons. Now leave." She shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Please, please let me see him. Please, Master." She begged him, dropping to her knees in front of him and he stood up, grabbed her by the arm and chucked her out of the room into the guard.

"Take her back."

_~0~0~0~_

She asked to see him again the next time, and the next time. Each time he would boil with fury and chuck her out before destroying the room. He would then order one of the Jones' to clean it up and go torment the Doctor, but would never touch him as per their agreement. A week passed and she knocked to try again. She needed to see her best friend, the man she loved. She didn't understand the Master's change in temperament, but wasn't surprised by it. The door opened slightly and she pushed it open, stepping in slowly and closing it before turning around into the room. He was stood by the door, covered in shadow in the dark room and before she could say anything he grabbed the sides of her head, forcing the drumming to flow through her mind. Her eyes widened she let out a moan of deep-rooted pleasure before trying to struggle away from him. He, however, pushed her back into the door, pressing against her firmly so she could not get away.

"Why do you want to see the Doctor?" He hissed and she gasped through her rapidly increasing breathing.

"Because I want to. I just want to see him!" She promised, but he shook his head. She looked him in the eyes, which were black with anger and she tried struggling away. The four beats increased in volume.

"You wanted the drums, you crave them. Why do you choose him?" She managed to tear her head away and shoved past him, running behind the table, panting heavily.

"Because the drumming drove me insane!" She explained desperately, "They made me paranoid and angry and vengeful. They were killing me slowly and I'd give anything to hear them again! But I can't, I can't go back to them!" He strode towards her but she ran around the table to keep away from him, terrified that he was going to make her listen to it again, and even more terrified because that was all she wanted. They ran around the table a few times, changing direction to try and meet their goals until he growled loudly and climbed across it, pushing her against the wall.

"Why can you get away from them?" he hissed, "Why do you get peace and I can't ever get away?"

"Because mine were curable, I don't think yours are." She sobbed, tears streaking her bright red cheeks, "Now please, stop it. Master, please." He placed his hands on her head again and she moaned, her knees giving way.

"You will submit to me." He told her, and she pushed weakly against him before he used his grip to pull her up and slammed his lips against hers. She fought weakly, but that just seemed to spur him on until the drumming became too much and she responded, burrowing her hands into his short brown hair and pulling herself close.

_~0~0~0~_

_Yes... That happened... The full version of that last scene will be posted on my Outtakes, it's not much more but it'll be there for those who want to read it :)_

_I'm trying to do scenes, rather than a continuous narrative, I hope that's okay. I'm still super nervous about it, so please let me know if it's okay :)_

_Review Notes..._

_Yes, I'm doing Family of Blood, I'm thinking maybe 4-5 episodes away. I've already wrote quite a bit of it, so it's definitely being used XD_

_Yeah, I like to name drop my other characters :) I have a few names I always use, just to make things easier on myself when thinking up small side characters. As for length, maybe the same as the other one, maybe a little bit shorter but not much shorter. In other words, no idea XD_

_I'm glad you like it, hope this chapter's okay for you too :)_

_End in a snog you say? :P_

_I love the Master so much, I wish there was more too but sometimes I think what we have just adds to his awesomeness. I've got an Eleven episode planned after Last of the Time Lords, then we'll be back to Rose-Ten :)_

_Yeah, I wanted to see how many people got the Faye reference :) I update every Wednesday and Sunday on this one. _


	9. The Result

Danni sat down on her small cot bed and the guard slammed and locked the bunk room door. She looked around the room before placing her head into her hands and began crying. She couldn't believe she had just done that, betrayed the Doctor and for what? Them infectious drums? He would never forgive her if he ever found out, and she wouldn't ever forgive herself even if he didn't. She knew she shouldn't have asked to hear them again, but she couldn't resist with them so tantalisingly close. So close that when she approached them she could almost hear them. She did her best, she really did but the silence in their absence was slowly driving her insane. The Doctor never understood how much she had needed them, still needed them to function. That had been the sole reason she had even contemplated turning him over to the Silence, so he would stop dismissing her need for them. At least Koschei understood the drive you got from them. The pure need that radiated from deep inside when she heard them. And he had understood wonderfully how to feed that feeling, building it to dizzying heights...

She shifted on the spot as a wave of desire ran through her, making her blush as she thought back on the encounter. It was the same when she had met the Doctor after she had unlocked them, she had just needed him too. But that was such a long time ago, or such a long time ahead of this depending on how you looked at it. She always thought that the Doctor would love her back after that, but what if he didn't? Jack said he meant the proposal, she'd been focused on that for the last nine and a half months, but what if he didn't? What if it really was just a ploy to get her to touch River? Why did he have to marry River?

She shook her head, she couldn't believe she was trying to rationalise this in her head. He may not have confirmed it himself, but as Eleven he would always steal kisses, and hold her hand extra tightly. There was something there, she knew it. But she had shattered any hope of it ever developing. There was no way Koschei would keep this to himself, it was only a matter of time until the Doctor found out and she lost him forever.

She curled up on the bed, tears streaming down her face as she tried to protect herself from what she'd done. She barely registered the fact he was now 'Koschei' in her head, just kept repeating it to herself as she begged it not to be true, that it didn't really happen.

Heather was startled to find her friend curled up on the bed when she was returned there from her duties that day. The girl who'd given her chocolate and tried to time and again cheer her up, the girl who'd never been scared or frustrated at their situation, was clinging to her pillow as she sobbed, completely broken. When she reached down, wanting to check she was okay and not physically hurt but she flinched out of the way, begging for her not to touch her. She sat down next to her, not touching her as she listened to her, slightly frightened at what could have happened.

_~0~0~0~_

When they were let out the next day to head to their duties, Danni was grabbed from the orderly line they were forced to walk in to their duties and taken straight down to the conference room where Koschei would normally meet her. She paused outside, her heart pounding in her chest as she held her hand to the handle. What if she just turned and ran? The guards would shoot at her, trying to stop her. Maybe she wouldn't get that far, maybe they would grab her and drag her in kicking and screaming. Koschei really wouldn't like that. And it wasn't what she wanted to do. She didn't want to be afraid of what would happen, but she also didn't want to want him again. And she did.

She took a deep breath to try and suppress the mass of shame that rose into her head and opened the door. The lights were on and she was slightly surprised to see Koschei sat in his usual seat. She walked over and sat down, unnerved by the grin on his face as his eyes raked up and down her body.

"I think," he drawled out, "our arrangement will have to change, don't you?" She looked back at him, feigning confusion.

"Why?" She asked, how could she not remember the day before? He leant across the corner of the table.

"Here is how it will go. You will give me the information I need, then I will give you what you need." He explained

"What I need?" She repeated, now actually confused. His hand reached out and touched her temple and suddenly her head was filled with the four beats again. She gasped at the feeling and quickly pulled away.

"N-No." She stuttered out, shaking her head frantically and his eyes narrowed.

"No?" He asked angrily.

"No." She replied, more confidently this time, "No, I don't want them." He slowly stood up, walking around the back of her chair and leant down so his lips were just grazing her ear, sending a shiver down her spine again.

"Yes you do. I can tell, the need is practically rolling off you."

"I don't want them." She reiterated and he knelt in front of her.

"I saw you, moaning in ecstasy as they rushed through your veins. Only I can make that happen, you know? With one touch, I can take you back there." He traced his fingertips up her arm, up her neck and to her temple. She bit her lip to stop from crying out at the touch and the drumming pounding through her.

"Tell me, how long can you resist?" He whispered, hot breath tickling her ear again.

"I can't, please Master." She almost sobbed, "I can't do this. The Doctor..." he pressed his fingers against her temple hard and the drumming increased in volume.

"The damage is already done, my dear. Would it really matter if we slept together once or a hundred times? You betrayed him, and with me no less. He will never forgive you. He will leave you, cold and alone. And silent." She could feel the tears running down her cheeks, "I, on the other hand, will always be able to make you feel this way. I can keep the very thing you crave running through you, always." Unable to resist any longer, she grabbed his head and slammed her lips onto his. She could feel him smirking as he kissed her back just as hungrily, but she didn't care as the drumming and utter despair ran through her veins fuelled her need to touch him, to have him near her always. He was right, the Doctor was going to leave her anyway. At least this way she wouldn't be alone.

_~0~0~0~_

There was something going on around him. The Master had no idea why he'd even called the meeting of his Earth-bound representatives, but he had and now he was stuck in this stupid room, listening to these stupid humans trying to please him. He was tapping impatiently on the table, though if anyone had noticed they didn't comment on it. Danielle would have. She'd have told him to stop being a child. She always spoke her mind, unlike these 'yes' men.

"And Spain is really coming along." One of the men in suits told him with a slimy smile, "They've almost completely finished their ship and I have it on good authority that someone is in the process of developing a remote timing device that will come in very handy."

"All of which you told me last time." The Master retorted calmly, "Anything _new_ to add? What about the homing device? I even gave you the blueprints because you were struggling." The man glanced down at one of his fellow ambassador, looking slightly nervous for a moment.

"We are still working with them." He tried to reassure and the Master's face fell into a deep scowl, "We are just having a bit of trouble sourcing some of the parts." Seeing the Master becoming increasingly angry he stuttered slightly, "B-But I have people trying..."

"Oh, you do?" The Master interrupted, "But you're not?" It wasn't good news, nothing was. Still no sign of bloody Martha Jones, no further on his plans to dominate the universe. What a disappointment they all were.

"Of course I am, Master." The man almost begged, "As soon as I get back I shall chase things up." There it was, another fake agreement, another fake promise to move forward in his plan. He was sick and tired of these monkeys trying to win his favour. He wanted someone to fight back, for once. Like Danielle did, like she used to at least anyway.

He growled and stood up, knocking the chair he was sat on over. The men all looked back at him, frightened at what might have been coming. He was supposed to be concentrating, why was she always popping up?

"You are all on thin ice." He warned darkly, "If nothing has been done by the next time I call on you, you will all be sent to the Serbian Mine Fields." A threat he knew would shape them up. The Serbian Mine Fields were known for their extremely high mortality rate, the one place no one ever wanted to go. They all began shoot him empty promises which just angered him further. He pointed towards the door, "Get out." And they did, scrambling over each other to get back to Earth. He growled and spun on the spot, the drumming in his head fuelling him until he was so tense his fingers had closed in on themselves, the sound deafening him and he had to get out.

_~0~0~0~ _

He had sent for her over a hour ago, but Danni still sat on her own waiting for Koschei to turn up. He did like to keep her waiting, she guessed it was a power play thing. He'd had her brought to his private rooms this time, something he had never done before and something was was worrying her. Any change in his behaviour was a worry for her. The room was lavishly decked out with a large super king bed in the middle and ornate furniture around the room, as if he had to remind himself he was in charge. Everything was in deep reds and browns and there was a door to what she guessed was an en suite. She'd been his maid for almost a year now, and she was always still impressed by the way he'd decorated the room. The brown reminded her of her own room.

A large window almost completely dominated one wall so he could look down on his domain. A long windowsill ran underneath it and she sat down on it, placing her feet so she was sat sideways with her knees bent, hugging them loosely. She watched a smattering of clouds float by in swirls and she was briefly reminded of dangling her feet out of the TARDIS doorway. It wasn't half as calming, but it was just as peaceful.

"_And I don't want the world to see me,_" She whispered, "_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._" She closed her eyes and leant her forehead on the cool glass, "_When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am._" She had been singing to herself more and more lately, everything seemed so silent these days and she needed the sound to fill the times in between being with Koschei.

"_And I'd give up forever to touch you, 'cause I know that you feel me somehow._" She started, deciding to go to the beginning of the song, "_You're the closest to heaven that __I'll__ ever be, and I don't want to go home right now._" She opened her eyes and jolted slightly when she saw Koschei's reflection in the glass, "Your ninja powers have, as always, surprised me." He didn't say anything but grabbed her arm, pulling her off the windowsill and she stumbled into his chest. The movement flicked her head back and he kissed her hungrily, holding her firmly so she could not get away. She replied eagerly, knowing going along with him made him surrender the drumming much quicker. He broke it off and leant against her forehead, panting.

"Are you okay?" She asked, confused by his actions. He never stopped, if he wanted her then he just continued until the end.

"Why do you never leave my head?" He asked in return, thinking back on the meeting he'd just endured. About how it always came back to her. She blinked.

"Sorry?" She asked and he sighed angrily.

"Nevermind." He bit out before pumping the drumbeat into her head. She groaned in relief, letting it flow through her body and she pulled him down for another kiss. He backed her onto the bed, his hand grasping her hair tightly as he dominated her mouth. He climbed onto the bed, a leg either side of her and he grabbed both her hands, pinning them above her head.

"I can't get you out of my head." He panted, "The only thing louder than you is that noise. You don't ever go away, and if I have to suffer, I'm going to make sure you can't survive without me. That every waking moment is spent craving me." He promised her, holding both her hands in one of his own before ripping her top open, "You won't be able to function without me. And when I die," he licked up her neck to her ear, "And you've told me I will, you will die without me." He whispered and she whimpered, half at the action and half in fright.

"Why?" she whispered and he frowned.

"Why what?"

"Why me?" He stared down at her as she bit her lip, eyes wide, torn between being terrified and entranced by him.

"I don't know." He admitted before slamming his lips onto hers, stopping any more questions.

_~0~0~0~_

From then on their ritual changed. She was torn from her duties when he saw fit and taken to the room, where he would use the drums to make her submit to his will. She stopped asking for stuff, there was no asking for information, there was just the two of them. Day in day out, she try and fight him some days, some days she would not put up a fight at all, but it would always end the same. Falling into the drumming-filled haze of lust which would consume the pair. Over the following couple of weeks she became a shell of her former self, needing the meetings as much as he became to crave his time with her. When the guard lead her past their normal meeting room and towards the main console room she began shaking; he had not called for her in 24 hours and as with the last time her withdrawal symptoms were returning. She was glancing around the hallways, confused and slightly scared as she clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. All she could think about was getting the drumming back into her mind, but she was fighting against the impulse to find him and beg. She wasn't far off that, though.

She was lead into the console room and she saw the Doctor in the corner, the relief rushing over her at the sight of the aged man. She hadn't realised how long it had been since she'd last seen him, but even as an old man he looked so good. He tried to get up, but was still chained down and she sent him a weak, shaky smile. Koschei slid down the banister from the top of the stairs.

"Ahh, Danielle, we've been waiting for you." He called to her and she stared at him, wide-eyed and terrified at the joy she felt at the fact he was just across the room. They were just there, almost within touching distance.

"I've been trying to get more information out of our little pet about this gun that Martha Jones is looking for, but he will just not submit to me." He told her lightly, as if he was asking for her advice, "so I thought, I would find someone who would." He walked over and placed a hand on her forehead and she groaned loudly as she heard the drums. He began backing up but she followed willingly, not taking her eyes off him as if it would strengthen the connection and he manoeuvred her to stand in front of the Doctor.

"What have you done to her?" he asked. His voice was hoarse from under-use and his elderly nature, but the horror was very evident in his tone as he looked at her. She seemed to be taking physical pleasure from whatever he was feeding her.

"You see, apparently she's had the drumming before. And now she craved it, she addicted and I'm the only one who can satisfy it." He removed his hand and she moaned in almost guttural despair. He turned her to face the Doctor, placing a possessive arm over her shoulder. The Doctor looked down at her, trying to work out what was happening as her mouth moved in silent words. He blinked as he realised she was directing them at him; 'help me'. His breath caught in his throat, she was in so deep.

"I had banned her from seeing you, after all I do not want what is mine mingling with the livestock, but I wanted to see what you have done to yet another life."

"She's not yours. She's not anyones." The Doctor replied angrily and Koschei grinned triumphantly.

"Oh yes she is. Whenever I see fit, I call her and she comes running." The implication was thick in his words and the Doctor shot a heartbroken look at her, which she returned.

"I can't... The drumming..." She stuttered out, in tears and Koschei pulled her close.

"Don't worry, dearest. I'm sure he understands that you're on my side now. Another life lost. And they call me the monster." He tutted, "Maybe now you see why you should tell me more about this gun; maybe, just maybe you can save Martha from such a fate." Danni tensed as the Doctor fell silent and she used all her willpower to push away from him.

"You have been looking in the wrong place." She told him, turning to face Koschei with her back to the Doctor, "All along, looking for Martha Jones when she is just a decoy." His eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"She's not the cause of your downfall." She stood on the tips of her toes so they were eye-to-eye, "I am." She grinned manically, "The only person in the universe as insane as you, who else?"

"You said that Martha was looking for a gun, and that she finds all the pieces." She nodded.

"I did. And she does. But that doesn't mean that she uses it, or that it in fact works. I've seen the future, it's a fix point in time. I will be your downfall." His eyes narrowed angrily, and if she hadn't been blinded by the need to hear the drums she would have seen the brief flash of hurt that the Doctor caught flashing across his face. He raised his hand to hit her, but instead pushed her onto the Doctor, who collapsed under the her weight.

"Fine, stay with the dog." He hissed, "Chain her up next to him." And he stormed out. Danni collapsed into a pile of heavy sobs and the Doctor watched him retreat before shifting to look at her. Two men were chaining her to the hook he was also attached to.

"He didn't hit you." He stated, amazed.

"What am I going to do?" She sobbed as if she didn't hear him, "I'm going to go insane, I can't do that again."

"You could hear the drums?" She nodded.

"You stopped them, but the withdrawal drove me almost insane. I can't go through that again. What have I done?" She looked up at him, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, and I hope in the future you remember that I didn't choose to go back."

_~0~0~0~_

"Can I ask you a question?" Danni asked quietly. She was sat next to the Doctor, tapping out the rhythm of four on her leg.

"Of course." The Doctor replied, grabbing her hand and making her stop.

"Am I a burden?" He frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I keep jumping from place to place, never in the right order. I appear in the middle of your adventures, with your friends and... well, others and I can never stick around. And now this." She looked down at his hand on hers, "I'm just the girl who gets in the way."

"Never." He told her, squeezing her hand, "I meant it, you're my best friend. My adventures are always that much better when you're there." She smiled slightly then groaned, using her other hand to tap on her head.

"I... It's just too quiet."

_~0~0~0~_

_I really don't have much to add, I hope it's alright, still not feeling 100%..._

_No real notes on reviews either, you're all lovely even if you don't like the Master/Danni development. Thank you so much for taking the time to review :)_


	10. The Last of the Time Lords

The Master stormed through the hallways, physically moving anyone who may have been in his way before throwing the door open into this room, letting it slam shut behind him. His breathing was heavy, his chest moving up and down with the force of it. He felt angry, actually he was bloody furious! But most of all, he felt betrayed. He felt...

He growled, grabbing the first thing he came across and throwing it across the room. The vase shattered into a thousand pieces, but it didn't help. He thought about blowing something up, but he knew that wouldn't work either. When he was this stressed, he'd call on Danielle. But he couldn't even do that anymore. She chose the Doctor over him, and it _actually hurt._ He had been so close to having her forever, by his side as he ruled the universe.

He couldn't understand it. She understood what it felt like, never sleeping, never wanting to eat. The world consumed into a darkness, the noise echoing through time and space. Spending your like craving so much more, and it never being fulfilled by anyone or anything. How dare she leave him like that?

Part of him wanted to storm back, rip her off the wall and slam his lips onto hers until she submitted again. He still wasn't sure he believed what she she had said, he knew what she would do for the Doctor and that infuriated him even more.

Did she call him by his Academy name as well?

He growled again, banishing the thought and anything like it as he sat on the edge of the bed, head cradled in one hand as he squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath. He needed to get back on track. He couldn't afford to be the emotional wreck the Doctor allowed himself to be. He had now lost his information source without finding out where Martha Jones was, or how he succeeded in his battle. He pulled at his tie, loosening it around his neck. Lord, future-ruler of the universe was proving to be a bigger pain in the arse than he'd anticipated.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor was sleeping. Actually being an old man, rather than an old man in a young body, made him sleep for quite a lot of the day. Danni wrapped her arms around her knees, glancing yet again at the door. There were two guards there, they'd just started their shifts, taking the spot of the previous two that had stood there. She didn't know their names, nor did she care. She just kept glancing at the doorway, waiting for Koschei to come back so she could beg him to let her go. She wasn't even bothered about hearing the drumming again, although she wouldn't say no because it was _so_ quiet. She missed him. She groaned lightly, lying her forehead on her knees. This was so wrong, she didn't know what to think. She knew deep down he was using her, quite horribly, but she didn't mind. Her head swam with memories, both adult and family-friendly in nature. He'd taken her to Wales, shown her the inner workings of the Valiant. And to Jack, he'd actually let her spend some time with Jack. Then he'd press his fingers to her temple...

The door opened and she jumped, eyes wide as she looked up. But, no, it was just Heather. The woman shot her a sympathetic look, moving over to gather up the empty bowls they'd left from lunch, before leaving without saying a word. Danni went back to watching the Doctor, deeply ashamed of the thoughts that appeared. Both him and Koschei, she couldn't tell who anymore.

_~0~0~0~_

Danni was chained by the wrist next to the Doctor, who was suspended from the ceiling in his cage, now the small gnome-like creature who sat on the floor of the cage, staring at his strange companion. She was stood, still in her grubby maids outfit, shaking and covered in a sheen of cold sweat. She had her eyes squeezed closed and she tapped the four beats into her skull with her spare hand, constantly muttering along with the pounding 'one, two, three, four'. The Jones family was stood on one side of the room, Jack on the other as they waiting on guard for what they knew was about to happen. The doors opened and Martha was lead in by two guards, head held high. She glanced at everyone, her eyes falling on the Doctor and Danni, frowning at the state Danni was in. Jack moved forward to go to her but a guard stops him with a movement of his gun.

"Your teleport device. In case your thought I'd forgotten." The Master told her and Martha chucked him the Vortex Manipulator out of her pocket, "And now…kneel. Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe." He walked over to his communication link, "Are we ready?"

"The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!" A voice replied.

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down!" A clock on the wall began counting down three minutes and he grinned gleefully_, "_I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

"_We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!_" The voice of the Toclafane came over the speakers, much to the Master's glee.

"At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die. Ha, my first blood. Ha, any last words? No?" He looked at the Doctor, "Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless!" He turned to Martha, "Bow your head. And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward..." He was interrupted by Martha chuckling to herself, "What? What's so funny?"

"A gun?" She asked in disbelief.

"What about it?" He asked.

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes, and I destroyed it." He elaborated.

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you _really_ believe that?" She scoffed.

"What do you mean?" He demanded, suddenly very concerned.

"As if I would ask her to kill." The Doctor called over, his voice gravelly as he held onto the bars of the cage. The Master frowned, then brushed it off.

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her." He retorted.

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son." Martha explained, "I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time."

"Oh, but you're still gonna die!" He pointed out in a sing song voice.

"Don't you wanna know what I was doing? Travelling the world?" She asked and he sighed, annoyed, taking a seat on the stairs.

"Tell me." He muttered.

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

"Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master snapped in disbelief. And they were wasting precious time, he'd planned it to the second.

"No, 'cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said." She stood up, "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time..."

"Nothing will happen! Is that your weapon?! Prayer?!" He cut her off, but she wasn't finished.

"Right across the world. One word, just one thought, at one moment… but with 15 satellites!" He stared at her, suddenly very worried as he hearts stopped.

"What?"

"The Archangel Network." Jack explained triumphantly.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word…is Doctor." She told him. He glanced around to the clock as it reached zero and a Doctor began glowing with a golden light, Danni flinching out of the way as the Doctor spread his arms out.

"Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't!" The Master commanded, but the occupants of the room didn't listen, all calling the man's name as their minds connected to the network.

"Stop this right now! Stop it!" He raged as the field broke the Doctor out of his cage and he slowly de-aged.

"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices." The Doctor explained calmly, now just an old man.

"I order you to stop!" The Doctor returned to normal and Danni stared, slack-jawed before going back to tapping on her head, squeezing her eyes closed.

"The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking." The Doctor declared as Martha and Jack laughed in pure joy, the Doctor levetating into the air, "Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this."

"No!" The Master cried, firing his laser at him, but the golden field surrounding the Doctor deflected it easily.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He offered.

"Then I'll kill them!" The Master shouted. He aimed at the Jones family, but the Doctor used the field to chuck his screwdriver across the room. "You can't do this! You can't do - It's not fair!" He rushed over to Danni and yanked her hand off her head, holding up to his chest.

"You said she wasn't my downfall. You lied." He told her, panicking wildly, "You said you were." She forced her eyes open, still in the throws of going cold turkey but smirked at him.

"Doctor." She stated pointedly, "I told you, you can never stop me thinking."

"You can't do this to me." He cried, angry and hurt and she shook her head.

"I'm not doing it to you," She told him gently, linking her fingers with his, "I would never hurt you. I'm doing it for the Doctor. This is how it is supposed to happen."

"And you know what happens now." The Doctor told him and his head shot round.

"No!" He cried as the Doctor floated over towards them. The Master backed away from the pair, "No! No! No!" He grovelled.

"You wouldn't listen." The Doctor continued.

"No!"

"Because you know what I'm going to say."

"No!" The Master fell to his knees and curled up into himself as the Doctor landed, walked up to him and wrapped his arms around him.

"I forgive you."

"My children!" He called in a vein attempt to save his lost empire. Jack ran off to save the TARDIS and suddenly the Doctor and the Master disappeared. Danni screamed as Martha rushed over, unlocking her from the wall. Danni dashed over, dropping to the floor in a blind panic as she clawed at the ground where they had once been.

"Danni, stop it." Martha told her gently, trying to pull her away.

"Get away from her, she's with _him_." Her mother hissed at her but Martha shook her head.

"Never." Martha swore, even though she didn't know what had happened, "She loves the Doctor, she always has and she always will." She pulled Danni off the floor, "Come on, Danni." She tried again gently.

"The... the spheres..." Danni called out in a moment of clarity and Martha rushed to look out onto the Earth, seeing the swarm of spheres heading towards them.

"We've all 6 billion spheres heading straight for us!" She called to her family and her sister rushed over. All they could do is watch and wait until suddenly they disappeared and the ship rocked as the paradox was reversed. Martha was thrown backwards only to be caught by the Doctor, who smiled at her. Danni, on the other hand, was thrown down the stairs, cracking her head as she went down. The Doctor didn't notice, too happy about the reversal, as he laid down on the ground with Martha, smiling brightly at his companion.

"Everyone down! Time is reversing!" The Doctor cried. The Master fought his way down the stairs, trying to hold on as the paradox sent them spinning back a year. He reached out and grabbed Danni, pulling her close and she opened her eyes. He sent her a smirk and she clung to him tightly as he wrapped an arm around her waist, squeezing her eyes closed from the pain. He kissed the cut on her head as the Valiant fell still and the Doctor stood, checking the time.

"The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past 8:00 in the morning." He opened the communications and a male voice called through to them, asking what was happening. The Master took Danni's hand, eyeing up the occupants of the room before pulling her towards the exit, if he was going to have to make his escape the girl was coming with him. He was _not _leaving Danielle behind. Jack came in at the same time, grabbing him before he could.

"Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party. Cuffs." He commanded and the guard passed him a pair. He cuffed the Master's hands behind his back, causing him to let go of Danni who swayed and landed against Jack's side. "So, what do we do with this one?" he asked.

"We kill him." Mr Jones stated, backed up by his daughter. The Doctor looked between them, shocked and slightly appalled by their answer.

"No, that's not the solution." He told them. Mrs Jones, however, aimed a gun at the Master.

"Oh, I think so. 'Cause all those…_things_, they still happened because of him. I saw them." She stated, determined he be punished.

"Go on! Do it!" The Master taunted her.

"Francine, you're better than him." The Doctor took her hand and she dropped the gun. He pulled her into a hug until Martha reached them before passing her to her daughter.

"You still haven't answered the question. What happens to me?" He asked the Doctor.

"You're my responsibility from now on. The only Time Lord left in existence." Jack walked over to the Doctor, an arm around Danni. He passed the young woman to the Doctor, her eyes glazed over as the Doctor placed a protective arm around her.

"Yeah, but you can't trust him, look what he did to Danni." He argued and the Doctor nodded once in agreement.

"No. The only safe place for him is the TARDIS."

"You mean you're just gonna…keep me?" The Master asked, horrified.

"Hmm. If that's what I have to do." The Doctor replied vaguely before turning to Jack, "It's time to change. Maybe I've been wandering for too long. Now I'll have someone else to care for." A gunshot rang out and Danni screamed. She broke free of Jack's grasp and ran over to the Master before the Doctor had even worked out what to do. The Time Lord dropped to the ground.

"No, no, no. Koschei!" She cried, propping him up and he smirked at her.

"What have I told you about using my name?" He told her before wincing. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was supposed to stop this from happening. She couldn't let him die, he _had_ to survive now.

"Please, please don't do it. Please regenerate. Don't leave me. Please, Koschei you can't leave me too." She begged, burying her face in his chest. He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, but then frowned in confusion as a feeling she had almost forgotten flowed from the leather device on her arm. She screamed again in terror as a force hit her in the stomach and she blacked out.

~0~0~0~

_Hello *waves* how are all you lovely people today? Good? I hope so XD_

_I have been thinking of writing an AU where the Master gets away with Danni. Anyone think that is a good idea? Not sure, but we'll see :)_

_Reviews..._

_It's not bad at all. I kinda love how twisted their relationship actually became. Neither of them wants the other one, but they do at the same time.  
_

_I'm glad you see it that way. It was sorta what I was going for, but also not so black-and-white. The End of Time is interesting, but I don't know if I can tell you much without there being spoilers. And yes, she gets the Eleventh Hour. I'm thinking of sending her there pretty soon ;)_

_Yeah, I'm okay ^_^ I shall take it as a compliment that you think it's reflecting me, because it's one of the darker things I've ever written and I'm quite content at the moment :)_

_Hehe, you update whenever you see fit. Sometimes I think these scheduled days will be the death of me XD I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

_Thank you very much :) I always wanted their relationship to pretty much be self-destructive, where neither of them wants it but does at the same time. I feel the control the Master had over her is the only way he'd be able to deal with feeling this way, because after so many hundreds of years of feeling driven by hate, he wouldn't know what to do with any other feeling. I also wanted to reflect just how little control Danni has over anything in her life with it, so if it came across as twisted as I hoped it did I'm very happy XD_

_I kinda cheat with the withdrawal symptoms, if I'm perfectly honest. See the next chapter XD_

_As for leaving forever? Well, that would be telling. If you've read my version of the 50th (which is in the Outtakes :P) you'll know sorta what happens to her, but they get their happy ending. That's all I'll say :P_


	11. The Big Bang

River Song connected some wires to the TARDIS console as it sparked and exploded around her in an attempt to land the malfunctioning machine. She ran from the console, ready to throw the doors opened when Danni came flying onto the floor, unconscious and ragged. River rushed over and shook the her best friend awake, who jolted and looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"Koschei!" She cried, confused and disorientated. River helped her up.

"Later, we're about to explode." She kept a tight grip around her waist and headed to the door, using one hand to open the doors. They were met by a stone wall, stopping them from escaping.

"I'm sorry, my love."River breathed out before looking back over her shoulder. She clung to her friend as the machine exploded in a bright light, engulfing the pair.

_~0~0~0~_

River Song connected some wires to the TARDIS console as it sparked and exploded around her in an attempt to land the malfunctioning machine. She ran from the console, ready to throw the doors opened when Danni came flying onto the floor, unconscious and ragged. River rushed over and shook the her best friend awake, who jolted and looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"Koschei!" She cried, confused and disorientated. River helped her up.

"Later, we're about to explode." She kept a tight grip around her waist and headed to the door, using one hand to open the doors. They were met by a stone wall, stopping them from escaping.

"I'm sorry, my love."River breathed out before looking back over her shoulder. She clung to her friend as the machine exploded in a bright light, engulfing the pair.

_~0~0~0~_

River Song connected some wires to the TARDIS console as it sparked and exploded around her in an attempt to land the malfunctioning machine. She ran from the console, ready to throw the doors opened when Danni came flying onto the floor, unconscious and ragged. River rushed over and shook the her best friend awake, who jolted and looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"Koschei!" She cried, confused and disorientated. River helped her up.

"Later, we're about to explode." She kept a tight grip around her waist and turned to head to the doors. The Doctor was stood against the door, leg crossed over the other and a fez on his head.

"Hi, honey. I'm home." He said smugly and River looked at the watch on her free arm.

"And what sort of time do you call this?" His eyes fell on Danni and he rushed over, taking her off River. Danni clung to him, flitting in and out of consciousness.

"What happened?" He asked, concerned.

"I don't know, she just appeared on the floor." River explained as he grabbed her arm and they disappeared out of the TARDIS and appeared on the roof with Amy and Rory.

"Amy! And the plastic Centurion?" River asked in confusion as the Doctor checked Danni over.

"It's OK, he's on our side." He told her distractedly as he held his head closer to her mouth, trying to hear what she was mumbling.

"Really? I dated a Nestene duplicate once... swappable head, it did keep things fresh." Danni groaned and woke up, looking up dazed and confused into the Doctor's eyes.

"Doctor?" She whispered meekly and he nodded.

"Welcome back, what happened?" He asked her but she shook her head, wincing as her brain rattled.

"River needs to talk next, not me." She replied instead, but refused to look away. A year, she realised. A whole year without seeing those eyes, she'd forgotten just how beautiful they were. She reached up, stroking his cheek with her fingertips. For that moment, she pushed everything that had happened out of her mind. Forgot all about Koschei, and focused entirely on him.

"No, tell me what happened." He demanded. She leant in closer, her lips brushing against his ear.

"You're wearing a fez." She whispered with a grin and he pulled back, smiling widely at her. The end of the universe, and she was exactly where she should have been. In his arms.

"Right then," River started pointedly, taking her cue from Danni, "I have questions. But number one is this... What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?" The Doctor looked at her, appalled and insulted.

"It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool." He replied. River shot Amy a look, who reached over and took it from his head. She threw it up into the air in the same motion and River shot it, disintegrating the headwear.

"Oh!" The Doctor exclaimed and Danni giggled, pushing herself off him.

"Exterminate!" A Dalek appeared from over the edge of the building, drawing everyone's attention away from the hat and to the alien.

"Run, run, move, move. Go! Come on!" The Doctor told them and they all ran to climb down the stairwell, the Doctor using a disused satellite dish as a shield to rebound the Dalek's firing. He slammed the door shut and soniced it to seal it. River aimed her gun at it, just in case the Dalek broke through anyway.

"Doctor, come on." She told him.

"Shh." He hushed her and she shot him an annoyed look, "It's moving away, finding another way in." He began climbing down the ladder, "It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means we've got exactly," He checked his watch, "four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity." He continued down the stairs.

"How do you know?" Rory asked, confused.

"Because that's when it's due to kill him." Danni piped up, sticking close the Doctor, still shaking and eyes darting around. She clung to his hand, their fingers linked as the Doctor tried to think up a plan to save everyone.

"Kill him? What do you mean, kill him?" River exclaimed.

"Oh, shut up, never mind. How can that Dalek even exist?" He mused angrily as they stepped into the hallway, approaching the exhibit hall, "It was erased from time and then it came back. How?"

"You said the light from the Pandorica..." Rory started but the Doctor interrupted him.

"It's not a light, it's a restoration field, but never mind. Call it a light. That light brought Amy back, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"

"OK, tell us." Amy prompted.

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion. It blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except..." He trailed off.

"Except inside the Pandorica." Amy finished and he nodded.

"The perfect prison." He confirmed, "Inside it, perfectly preserved, a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single one of them, like cloning a body from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

"No, too fast, I'm not getting it." Rory replied, utterly confused.

"The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory. And that's how we're going to do it."

"Do what? Amy asked.

"Relight the fire. Reboot the universe. Come on!" He turned and continued towards the Pandorica, dragging Danni with him. Amy and Rory exchange confused looks as River ran off to catch up to the Doctor.

"Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous." She scolded him as they entered another hallway, "The Pandorica partially restored _one_ Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole of reality?"

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power? Transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?" He asked her.

"Well, that would be lovely, dear, but we can't, because it's completely impossible." She exclaimed in frustration. Why could he never be straight forward? Why was it always riddles and long, winding explanations?

"Ah, no, you see, it's not."He tapped her on the forehead for emphasis, "It's ALMOST completely impossible. One spark is all we need."

"For what?"

"Big Bang Two!" He whispered excitedly, "Now listen..." But instead of finishing, he shoved Danni away from him to the floor before being shot by the rogue Dalek and collapsing. The Dalek headed towards them, screaming it's battle cry. River rushed over to Danni's side, helping her up. Danni batted her away and the pair rushed to the Doctor's side, who was laid out on his back, singed around the edges from the direct hit.

"Get back. River, Danni, get back now!" Rory told the pair as the Dalek came closer. Still being made of plastic, he flipped his hand open and shot the Dalek with the gun that was hidden there. It was drained of it's energy and fell still. River didn't pay him any attention, trying instead to rouse the Doctor.

"Doctor. Doctor, it's me, River. Can you hear me? What is it? What do you need?" She asked frantically, remembering clearly how Danni had been when she had tried to kill him. She'd promised to make sure he was there for her always, and a stupid Dalek wasn't going to get in the way of that. The Doctor ignored her and instead activated his Manipulator, disappearing in a flash of light.

"Where did he go? Damn it, he could be anywhere." She exclaimed angrily, standing up and brushing herself down.

"He went downstairs. 12 minutes ago." Amy told the other woman solemnly.

"Show me!" River demanded.

"River, he died." The woman stared back at her in disbelief before turning to where Danni to see if she was okay. She frowned when the spot where the Doctor had thrown her was empty.

"Where did Danni go?" She asked but was interrupted by the Dalek.

_~0~0~0~_

Danni ran into the exhibit hall, panting heavily as she stared wide-eyed at the Doctor strapped into the Pandorica. He was battered and bruised and in obvious pain as he attempted to wire the Vortex Manipulator to the prison.

"You were just going to leave me?" She cried, heartbroken and he looked up.

"The universe will reset, you will be fine." He told her with a little difficulty and she stormed over.

"You are my universe!" She exclaimed, "I'm only here because of you. Would I just go back to the other universe? I don't want to do that!"

"You'll be fine, I promise." He repeated and she shook with rage.

"I am not fine. I will never be fine without you." She insisted and he smiled warmly at her.

"You've survived a lot more than this without me." He reassured her. She shook her head.

"I can't. I'm scared, really scared. Please don't leave me." She begged.

"Amy and Rory will look after you." He tried again and she growled in frustration.

"Oh for God's sake you can not be that unobservant!" She cried at him and he frowned, "I know you've been busy, saving the universe and everything but have you actually looked at me?!" He studied her for a moment, taking in her shaking and the sheen of cold sweat covering her skin. She had a large gash on her head and was tapping against her thigh urgently. Then he noticed the maid' outfit she was wearing, dirty and tattered from the amount of time she had spent in it.

"You've come from the Valiant." He stated in shock and she nodded.

"Yes. You can't leave me. I need you, I can't ever come through the other side of this without you. Don't you dare leave me too." She told him and he smiled sadly.

"Never." He swore and she grinned shakily, her eyes full of tears and she knelt down at his feet.

"Tell me what to do."

_~0~0~0~_

Amy, River and Rory ran over to the Pandorica, where the Doctor had passed out and Danni was shaking him, trying to wake him up.

"Why did he tell us he was dead?" Rory asked as River gently pulled Danni away before checking on the Time Lord.

"We were a diversion. Long as the Dalek was chasing us, he could work down here." Amy explained to her fiancé.

"Doctor, can you hear me? What were you doing?" River asked. Danni glared at her, pushing back to her place at the Doctors feet.

"We don't have time for this. We're running out of time, the whole of reality is collapsing around us. Just look at the room." She snapped.

"Where did everything go?" Amy asked as they glanced around the now empty room.

"History is being erased. Time is running out." Danni explained before turning to River, "He was trying to connect the vortex manipulator to the Pandorica so he can fly it into the heart of the exploding TARDIS, but he's still badly hurt and I don't know what to do!" She cried and the Doctor began stirring, slowing coming back round.

"Big... Bang... Two." He panted out.

"The Big Bang. That's the beginning of the universe, right?" Rory asked.

"What, and Big Bang Two is the bang that brings it back? Is that what you mean?" Amy asked the Doctor, trying to help him explain his plan. The Doctor gave a small nod and River jolted in realisation.

"Oh!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Amy asked.

"The TARDIS is still burning. It's exploding at every point in history. If you threw the Pandorica into the explosion, right into the heart of the fire..."

"Then what?"

"Then let there be light. The light from the Pandorica would explode everywhere at once, just like he said."

"That would work? That would bring everything back?"

"A restoration field, powered by an exploding TARDIS, happening at every moment in history. Oh, that's brilliant. It might even work!" She grabbed his sonic screwdriver, examining the work he had already completed.

"I know you can finish it, please help him." Danni urged River, pleading her to just hurry up.

_~0~0~0~_

The sky was bright orange by the time River had finished attaching the manipulator to the prison. Danni was leant against one wall, her eyes closed and she was ferociously tapping the four beat on her skull again just like she had done on the Valiant mere hours ago. Now the whole of the universe was collapsing around her and she was about the not exist anymore. She thought that it might of helped, but the silence around her was just cruelly highlighting the fact that there was nothing in her head, and no one to feed it to her. The Doctor had sent River to fetch Amy, and Danni knew that they were talking right in front of her, but she couldn't hear anything over the never ending silence. She tapped harder, she needed some sound.

She was startled as the ground shook and she opened her eyes to see Amy placing the screwdriver into his pocket.

"There's going to be a very big bang. Big Bang Two. Try and remember your family and they'll be there." He told Amy weakly.

"How can I remember them if they never existed?" Amy asked, heartbroken.

"Because... you're special. That crack in your wall, all that time, the universe pouring into your head. You brought Rory back...you can bring them back, too. You just remember, and they'll be there." He explained, kissing his fingers and placing it on her head.

"_Y__ou_ won't." She insisted as she backed away but he just grinned.

"You'll have your family back. You won't need your imaginary friend any more." He laughed weakly, "Amy Pond... crying over me, eh? Guess what?"

"What?" He sat up straight with a triumphant smile

"Gotcha." The Pandorica closed and Danni manoeuvred herself onto his knee as he began typing wildly on the manipulator and it began flying towards the TARDIS. Danni grabbed his communicator out of his pocket, struggling to type a message onto it. She showed him what she was about to send, and he laughed at the 'GERONIMO' across it's screen. She hit the send button before burrowing her face into his chest, the g-force of the ride began making her nauseous. He held her tightly as they slammed into the exploding TARIS.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor took a deep breath as he shot up on the TARDIS floor, now completely back to normal. He saw Danni do the same next to her and laughed in relief. He stood up, helping her up as well. She was no longer dirty and tattered, and the gash on her forehead had gone. They hugged tightly.

"Oh! OK. we escaped, then. Brilliant! Love it when I do that." He checked his body, "Legs, yes." He checked for his bowtie, "Bow tie, cool." He then reached up and felt the absence of anything on his head, "I can buy a fez." Danni giggled at him, feeling much better than she had a moment earlier. He was about to say something else when he was interrupted by the Past Doctor at the console of the TARDIS.

"The beach. The beach is the best. Automatic sand." The Past Doctor was explaining to Past Amy as he piloted the TARDIS.

"Automatic sand? What does that mean?" Past Amy asked.

"It's automated, totally." They walked around the console to see Past Doctor and Amy dressed ready to go to the beach.

"Oh." The Doctor let out sadly as he realised what was happening.

"Cleans up the lolly sticks..." His past self continued and Danni batted his arm.

"You went to Space Florida without me?" she asked, annoyed.

"Amy wanted to go." He defended, "That's last week. We're rewinding. My.. My time stream... unravelling, erasing. Closing." She pointed to a screen on the console and he saw the image of the crack closing, "Hello, universe, goodbye, Doctor. Amy?" He called and the Past Amy turned around but looked right through them. He looked at her, confused. "Amy?"

Suddenly the time line rewound even further until they landed outside Craig's flat where Amy was placing the advert for the room in the shop window.

"Ah, three weeks ago, when she put the card in the window." He looked at Danni, "Have you done this yet?" Danni nodded, "It was brilliant..." he trailed off, saddened by the fact she was disappearing with him. She took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning to the other redhead.

"Amy!" She called and Amy looked over to where they were, but again couldn't see them, "Pay attention, Pond!"

"She can hear us! But if she can hear us..." The Doctor trailed off as he spotted the crack in the road and time rewound again.

They arrived in the forest aboard the Byzantium, just as the Past Doctor was leaving for the primary flight deck, leaving Past Amy on her own with the two clerics.

"Good luck everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing." The Past Doctor told the two clerics, before turning to Past Amy, "Amy, later!"He tapped her forehead, "River, going to need your computer." He said as he left Past Amy. Danni nudged the Doctor.

"Go talk to her." She commanded and he frowned.

"Why?"

"Because she can hear you." She pushed him forward and he approached the young woman, placing his hands on hers.

"Amy. you need to start trusting me, it's never been more important." He told her gently.

"But you don't always tell me the truth." Past Amy accused.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me." He replied.

"Doctor, the crack in my wall, how can it be here?" She asked, scared.

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out." He told her, not technically lying as he looked over at his past self examining some readouts, "Now, listen. Remember what I told you when you were seven?"

"What did you tell me?" She asked, confused and he leant his forehead against hers, squeezing his eyes shut.

"No, no... That's not the point. You have to remember." He kissed her on the forehead and moved over to Danni, pulling her close and kissing her deeply as Past Amy called after him.

_~0~0~0~_

Time rewound again for what Danni knew would be the final time, and they landed still kissing on Amy's hallway, at the bottom of the stairs. They broke apart and the Doctor glanced around the dark room.

"Amelia's house." He stated, then looked at his watch, "When she was seven. The night she waited." He took Danni's hand and led her outside. The pair walked around the garden slowly, hand in hand, finding little Amelia Pond curled up asleep on her suitcase. They smiled bitter-sweetly at the sight, their little companion.

"The girl who waited. Come here, you."The Doctor picked the little girl up, Danni grabbing her suitcase, and they headed inside and up the stairs to her bedroom. The Doctor tucked Amelia into her bed and sat down on a chair next to it. Danni stood behind him, holding onto the back.

"It's funny. I thought if you could hear me, I could hang on somehow. Silly me. Silly old Doctor. When you wake up, you'll have a mum and dad... And you won't even remember me. Well, you'll remember me a little. I'll be a story in your head." He rambled to the sleeping child, talking was the only way he knew how to work through issues.

"But that's OK. We're all stories in the end." Danni pointed out quietly.

"Just make it a good one, eh? Cos it was, you know. It was the best. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well, I borrowed it. I was always going to take it back. Oh, that box, Amy. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, eh? Woulda had... Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor, Danni and Amy Pond. And the days that never came. The cracks are closing. But they can't close properly until we're on the other side. We don't belong here any more." He looked up at Danni, asking her for permission and she nodded, "I think we'll skip the rest of the rewind. I hate repeats. Live well. Love Rory." He kissed her forehead, the tears not falling but were thick in his voice, "Bye bye, Pond."Danni walked around and stroked the ginger hair, causing the girl to shift but not stir.

"Amelia, the girl who waited. No longer will you wait for us. Be magnificent, as always." They left her, hand in hand as the crack closed behind them. Amelia woke up, looked at her wall as if noticing something was wrong, then went back to sleep.

_~0~0~0~_

Morning came 14 years later and Amy slowly woke up, her eyes travelling across her room at all her old Raggedy Doctor and Danni-Girl crafts; a dream from her childhood long ago. Her eyes fell on her wedding dress, staring at it as she tried to work out what was going on.

"Morning!" A female voice called from outside and a woman entered carrying a tray full of breakfast goodies. Amy shot up in her bed, surprised at the woman who stared back confused.

"You're my mum. Oh, my God, you're my mum." Amy said.

"Well, of course I'm your mum. What's the matter with you?" The woman asked with a grin, "And this is your breakfast, which your father made, so feel free to tip it out of the window if it's an atrocity. Downstairs, 10 minutes? Big day!" She left her daughter to eat and Amy watched her leave with a frown on her face.

"Of course she's my mum. Why is that surprising?" She climbed out of bed, chucking her cover of the discarded breakfast and made her way downstairs to her parlour, entering the room cautiously. Her father was stood at the fireplace, going over his speech in his hands.

"Ah, Amelia. I fear I may have been using the same joke book as the best man." He told her as she stared back in shock.

"You're my tiny little dad!" She cried happily before rushing over and pulling him into a hug, which he returned just as happily with one hand still on the book.

"Amelia, why are you behaving as if you've never seen us before?" Her mother asked as she entered the room and Amy moved out of the way as her mum put a tie over her dad's head and tightened it.

"I don't know. It's just..." She answered with a small smile, still uncomfortable with the nagging feeling she was getting in the back of her head that something was missing. She turned and left her parents to get ready, heading up to her bedroom and phoning her husband-to-be.

"Hello!" He called happily down the phone, his voice muffled with something in his mouth. She rolled her eyes, he always answered the phone whilst eating.

"Do you feel like you've forgotten something really important?" She asked without replying, "Do you feel like there's a great big thing in your head, and you feel like you should remember it, but you can't?"

"Yep." He replied after a pause and her lips turned upwards in the corners.

"Are you just saying yes cos you're scared of me?"

"Yep." The grin spread slightly more.

"I love you." She told him.

"Yep." He replied again, "I mean, I love you too!" He corrected himself quickly after realising what she had said. She hung the phone up and sat on the bed, staring at the wedding dress deep in thought before smiling widely and rushing over to it with a flourish.

_~0~0~0~_

Amy, Rory and their families were all sat at the head of the reception hall, clapping as the best man finished his speech. Amy lightly touched Rory on the hand as they discussed what he had said before clapping along with everyone else. She was now Mrs Williams, had finally married the man who she loved more than anything in the universe.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The Best Man concluded, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the father of the bride, Augustus Pond!" The hall cheered and Amy clinked her glass of champagne with her spoon as he father timidly stood up.

"Sorry, everyone. I'll be another two minutes. I'm just reviewing certain aspects." The crowd groaned good-naturedly and laughed as he sat back down to change the jokes the Best Man had used. Amy's mother leaned over Rory.

"Your father, Amelia, will be the absolute death of me. Unless, of course, I strike pre-emptively." Amy laughed joyfully at her mother, knowing that the pair really did love each other when she caught sight of a woman with a mass of curly blonde hair walking past the window. The woman looked in and smirked, as if knowing Amy recognised her. Amy shot up from her chair and watched her as she disappeared around the building and out of view.

"Amy? You OK?" Rory asked, bringing her out of the trance she had been in.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She cast one last look out of the window before sitting back down.

"Right. Er... You're crying." He pointed out, confused and a little wary of pointing it out.

"So I am." She replied calmly as she reached up and wiped a tear from off her cheek, "Why am I doing that?" She whispered.

"Because you're happy, probably. Happy Mrs Rory. Happy, happy, happy." He replied hopefully, trying to lift her spirits. However, she just shook her head.

"No. I'm sad. I'm really, really sad." Rory turned to look at the table in front of them, feeling nervous.

"Great."

"Why am I sad?"Her eyes caught sight of a blue book on the table in front of Rory and she paused slightly as she recognised it, "What's that?"

"Oh, er, someone left it for you." He picked it up, "A woman." She snatched it out of his hand, turning it over as if trying to work it out.

"But what is it?" She asked forcefully.

"It's a book." He answered. She flipped through the pages, trying to find something, anything.

"It's blank." She pointed out. The feeling of sadness in her chest increased with every blank page but she did not know why.

"It's a present."

"But why?" She asked. Everything that felt wrong with the day, from waking up and being shocked at her parents mere existence, to the empty seats on the pews, to the woman walking past the window, she knew were all connected to this empty book. But she didn't know why. Something, deep in her memory, was crying out but she just couldn't remember what was so special about the blue book.

"Well, you know the old saying." She looked at him blankly, "The old... wedding... thing. Huh?" He asked imploringly. She turned from him to stare at the book, desperately trying to cling onto the memories she could feel were there. She didn't register her husband calling her name or her father standing up next to her.

"Ready now. Sorry about that. Last-minute adjustments to certain aspects. Now then, it hardly seems a year..." She looked around the room as things began to catch her eye. A red bow tie around a teenager's neck, a pair of blue braces one of her uncles was wearing, a blue dress her cousin Sarah was wearing. She looked back down at the journal as a tear fell from her eye and landed with the loudest thud she thought she had ever heard. She suddenly shot up from her chair.

"Shut up, Dad!" She cried, startling everyone in to silence around her.

"Amelia?" Her dad asked.

"Sorry, but shut up, please! There's someone missing...some people... some important people. So, _so_ important." She grasped the side of her head, as if it would help her.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Rory asked her, now very concerned.

"Sorry. Sorry, everyone. But when I was a kid, I had two imaginary friends."

"Oh no, not this again." Her mother said with a sigh as everyone on the table sat back for a familiar story.

"The Raggedy Doctor and Danni-Girl. My Raggedy Doctor and his Danni-Girl. But they weren't imaginary. They were real."

"The psychiatrists we sent her to!" Her mother tried to explain to the crowd, passing it off as an anecdote.

"I remember you!" Amy interrupted, "I remember! I brought the others back, I can bring you home, too. Raggedy man, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!" Silence fell across the room as nothing happened. About to pass it off as a joke, her mother shifted in her seat but stilled as the ground began to shake, glasses tinkling against each other and the chandelier in the middle of the room began to sway.

"I found you. I found you in words, like you knew I would. That's why you told me the story...the brand new, ancient blue box. Oh, clever. Very clever." The noise of the TARDIS engines filled the hall as its ever-familiar wind blew around the guests.

"Amy, what is it?" Rory asked her.

"Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue." She whispered. The TARDIS began to materialise in the middle of the floor as the other guests gasped.

"It's the Doctor!" Rory exclaimed, confused, "How did we forget the Doctor? I was plastic. He was the stripper at my stag. Long story." The TARDIS solidified and Amy pulled the skirt of her dress up, climbed over the table and strode up to the beautiful blue box. She knocked on the door.

"OK, Doctor, Danni. Did I surprise you this time?" The door opened and the Doctor appeared wearing a top hat and tails, sporting a white bow tie and a white scarf over his shoulders. Danni snaked under his arm in a black dress with white polka-dots. She had a red belt and matching shoes, a black bow in her hair.

"Er, yeah. Completely astonished. Never expected that. How lucky I happened to be wearing this old thing." The pair stepped out of the box as the guests muttered around them.

"Hello, everyone. We're Amy's imaginary friends, but we came anyway." Danni announced, hugging the red head who returned it just as happily, "I told him we were late." She whispered in her Doctor walked up to the head table and shook Amy's father's hand.

"You absolutely, definitely may kiss the bride." Amy stated, walking purposefully towards the Doctor with her lips puckered up. The Doctor placed a finger against her lips before she can kiss him, turning away from her as he did.

"Amelia! From now on, I shall be leaving the... kissing duties to the brand new Mr Pond." He shook Rory's hand as the groom approached them. Rory was grinning from ear to ear, but double-took as he understood what the Doctor had said.

"No, I'm not Mr Pond. That's not how it works." He explained.

"Yeah, it is." The Doctor replied confidently. Rory looked at his wife and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, it is." The Doctor spun on the spot.

"Right then, everyone. I'll move my box. You're going to need the space. Come on Danni-Girl." He grabbed her hand and returned to the TARDIS, "I only came for the dancing." He spun Danni, who squealed in surprise before the door shut and the TARDIS vanished.

_~0~0~0~_

A Crazy Little Thing Called Love played as the reception was in full swing. Amy was laughing hysterically as she tried to dance with the Doctor, who instead was just grooving to his own tune.

"You're terrible. That is embarrassing!" She cackled happily but the Doctor just shot her a grin and continued.

_~0~0~0~_

The children at the party had all loved his dancing, and formed a little group to copy his unique moves.

"That's it. That's good. Keep it loose." He spun around, waving his arms in the air and all the children copied, smiling and having a great time. Amy and Rory sat off to the side, Amy leaning on Rory and the pair laughed at their old friend.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor leant against the doorway into the hallway watching Amy and Rory slow dance together. He smiled as Rory held onto Amy's bright red shoes.

"2,000 years. The boy who waited. Good on you, mate." He stated quietly as the pair kissed, oblivious everyone but themselves.

"The Boy and Girl Who Waited. Together, as they should be." He turned and saw Danni stood next to him, smiling happily.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"Absolutely fine. I guess not existing for a while fixed me." She grabbed his hand, squeezing it but never taking her eyes off the pair, "They're just so happy, aren't they?" She whispered wistfully.

"Yes, they are. At this very moment, they are the happiest people in the universe." He replied.

"The happiest people in _their_ universe." Danni corrected lightly. The Doctor looked down at her and she shot him a wide grin.

"We never did dance." He pointed out, pulling her closer.

"We didn't, did we?" She replied lightly and he leant down, kissing her gently on her lips. He pulled back, looking almost guilty but she just smiled, grabbed his lapel and pulled him in for a kiss of her own.

_~0~0~0~_

They had danced, eventually, the Doctor spinning her around the room much more elegantly than he had been up until that point. Every time a song would end, he would just shift his grip on her hand and smoothly move into the next song. They had barely spoke, and apart from the occasional kiss barely did anything for the rest of the night but dance just in case she disappeared in the next moment. Amy and Rory had watched them from the sidelines, happy in their newly-married bliss and glad that it was spreading across their friends as most newly-weds would be.

Danni knew that it was a lie. She knew that she would need to face up to what she had done to him. That he was just caught up in the moment, and it could quite possibly be the last time he held her in his arms. But, for now, she was going to drink up every moment she could. A year she'd waited to see him again, one, long, devastating year. She wasn't ready to let him go. She pushed off from his chest just slightly, standing up on her tiptoes.

"The answer's 'yes'." She whispered in his ear, her chest aching as tears sprung in her eyes. He frowned, smiling but confused.

"What is the question?" He whispered in reply and she shook her head, leaning it on his chest again and listened to his hearts beating.

"Not important." She told him, "You'll know when you ask it."

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor led Danni back to the TARDIS in Amy's front garden after the festivities had ended, holding the TARDIS journal in his free hand. He pulled out his key and unlocked the door, looking down at her with a smile and about to open the door when a voice rang out behind them.

"Did you dance? Well, you always dance at weddings, don't you?" River asked. He spun around slowly.

"You tell me." He replied. River stood in the gap between the trees leading to the section of garden they were in. She was dressed up in a fur coat and pearls around her neck.

"Spoilers." She taunted with a smile. He let go of Danni's hand and stepped forward, meeting River in the middle and handing her back the journal.

"The writing's all back, but I didn't peek." He promised and she took it off him.

"Thank you." She replied sincerely. He pulled out the vortex manipulator and handed it back as well.

"Are you married, River?" He asked, trying to be casual about it.

"Are you asking?" River asked as she placed it around her wrist.

"Yes."

"Yes." She replied.

"No, hang on." The Doctor said hastily, "Did you think I was asking you to marry me, o- o-or asking if you were married?"

"Yes."

"No, but was that 'yes'", or 'yes'?"

"Yes." She whispered with a grin.

"River...who are you?" River shot him a sad look.

"You're going to find out very soon now. And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes." And with that, she activated her manipulator and disappeared. The Doctor stared at the spot where she had stood for a moment before shrugging.

"Nah." He said quietly before turning around to face Danni. He frowned again at the fake smile plastered on her face, it not reaching her eyes. He suddenly had the urge to cheer her up and he spun her around again, leading her into the TARDIS and the pair danced up to the console.

"Where to now?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"Where do you want to go?" She replied quietly. He was about to ask her what was wrong when the door opened and Amy walked in determinedly.

"Oi! Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet." She stated as she approached the pair.

"No more snogging me for you." The Doctor reminded and she smirked.

"I wasn't talking about you." Amy retorted and Danni laughed. The Doctor looked back at her with a wide grin as Rory entered, shutting the door behind him.

"Amy!" He cried, exasperated.

"Shut up... it's my wedding."

"OUR wedding." He emphasised and Danni giggled again.

"Sorry, you two...shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?" The Doctor babbled and Rory shot him a bewildered look.

"You just saved the whole of space and time. Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow." He suggested but the Doctor shook his head.

"Space and time isn't safe yet. The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up." The phone began to ring but he ignored it, "Why? And why now? The silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to..." Danni held up a hand.

"Excuse us a moment." She picked up the phone, holding it against her ear, "Hello the TARDIS, Danni-Girl speaking how can I help? Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line. No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. The Doctor was at the prayer meeting. But we're at a wedding." She looked over at the married couple with a knowing grin on her face as they listened intently, "Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express," She nodded with a sigh, "Yes, I know, in space! Just one moment."She held her hand over the mouth piece, "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye. Do you think it's goodbye?" Amy asked her husband.

"Definitely goodbye." He replied and she headed for the door, opening it wide and leaning outwards.

"Goodbye!" She called happily with a wave before pausing and taking in every detail of her new old life, "Goodbye." she whispered before closing the door. Danni looked up at the Doctor, who was smiling happily at the group before turning back to the phone.

"Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty. We're on our way." She hung up and the Doctor set the TARDIS into motion, Amy, Rory and Danni clinging onto the console in delight.

_~0~0~0~_

_Not very original chapter I'm afraid. But it seemed to most appropriate way to finish off this little part. All your reviews are greatly appreciated, and I've started an AU for the Master/Danni as people seemed to be all for that idea. It will be posted (at some point) in the Outtakes and will be a little smutty because of it. I'll let you know on this fic when it's up :)_

_Otherwise, just continue to be awesome XD_


	12. The Stately Home

Danni heard the commotion before she'd even found her bearings. She appeared to be in a stately manor of some kind, dark wood furnishing and panelling on the walls showing just how rich the owners must have been. She'd landed in a bedroom, apparently. She frowned, scratching her arm just above the manipulator absently, not the first time, not the last. Why would the Doctor be here? She didn't recognise it at all, the setting completely foreign to her. She smiled to herself despite the screaming, she always liked something new.

She then frowned, chastising herself mentally as she headed towards the door, knowing if there was screaming the Doctor wouldn't be too far behind. She shouldn't be happy, the Doctor wouldn't be when he saw her. They may have danced, and they may have headed off to the Orient Express in space and he _may_ have rented a carriage on it just for them after they'd captured the Egyptian Queen, but she was still sure it was a high from actually existing once again. After all, how could have forgiven her? How could _anyone_ forgive her?

The door burst open just as she almost reached it, barely missing her face as a young woman in a maid outfit appeared, out of breath and clearly terrified. She opened her mouth to scream but Danni waved her hands, panicking a bit herself.

"No, no, it's okay!" She exclaimed, "What's going on?" The young woman took in Danni, looking her up and down, confused, before obviously deciding she wasn't a threat.

"Men." She exclaimed in a sob, "They've taken the Master and My Lady." Danni nodded as footsteps rang through the hallway outside. The young woman looked over her shoulder, "They're coming!" Danni reached out, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the room.

"Come on, the wardrobe!" She directed, opening the large wooden box and pushing the maid in first, before climbing in after her and pulling the door shut. The young woman was sobbing and Danni shushed her firmly, "Just try and calm down, we need to be quiet!" She whispered and the girl nodded, taking in short, sharp breaths. Danni reached into her dress pocket and fished out her phone, holding it to her ear as the young woman was suddenly amazed at the glowing metal box she'd produced. It rang, but the Doctor didn't answer. Great, must not be in the TARDIS!

"What is that?" The girl breathed and Danni shook her head, pocketing it again.

"Nothing of impor..." She trailed off as the door to the bedroom creaked open. The two girls clung to each others hands, both holding their breath but the door creaked again, clicking shut. Neither of them dared to speak a word, but after a while it seemed like whoever had come in had left. Danni squeezed her phone through her dress pocket again, nodding to herself.

"Right." She whispered, "I'm going to go get help."

"They'll kill you!" The young maid whimpered. Danni gently pushed the door open, letting the light stream into the wardrobe. Thankfully, the room was empty.

"What's your name?" Danni asked her gently.

"F-Flora." She stuttered out and Danni shot her a warm smile.

"Flora," She repeated, "I have this friend, called the Doctor. He can help us, but I need to find him first. You have to stay in here. It'll be uncomfortable, but it will be safe."

"You're mad." The maid whispered and Danni nodded.

"Completely." Danni agreed sincerely, "But it's the best chance we've got. Stay in the wardrobe."

"It's dark." Flora whimpered and Danni looked around. With a maid dressed like that, and candle holders around the room, there was nothing much Danni could do about... She suddenly reached into her pocket, an idea jumping out at her. She grabbed her phone, popped the battery out and then the SIM card. She pocketed the SIM and put the back back on, turning the phone back on again. No signal, but the screen lit up.

"Here." She handed the girl the phone, "Press this button," She pointed at the Home button on the front, "and the screen will light up for a little while. Try not to do too much, you'll draw attention to yourself." The girl did what she was told, her mouth falling open in amazement.

"This is magic." She breathed and Danni shrugged.

"Right, I have to go. Stay in there, don't come out until I come get you." Flora nodded, settling back into the wardrobe, the phone clutched tightly in her hands.

"What's your name, Miss?" she asked and Danni shot her a bright grin.

"Danni." She told her, "Be safe." She shut the wardrobe door before heading the bedroom one, opening it slowly as she looked into the hallway. She glanced up both ends, but no one was there. She shrugged, deciding to head right for no real reason and quietly made her way down the hallway. She tried to hear the screaming, but it had died down. So, she needed to head downwards. Well, she had no idea where she needed to head, but it was the best plan she had so that was what she decided to do. She had her TARDIS key around her neck, at any rate, so at least if she found the time machine she could get it and work from there.

Around the corner was another hallway, a set of stairs at the end. She headed towards them just as a bald man in red clothing headed up them, spotting her. Her eyes widened in fear and surprise, the man looked like something out of a martial arts movie, and then he growled. She yelled, turning to run but he was too fast, pouncing on her and taking her to the floor with a loud thud. She tried to fight him off, but he just twisted her arm behind her back and marched her down the stairs.

_~0~0~0~_

Rose half-curtsied awkwardly at the butler who had let her to the Lady's bedroom, where she'd been informed that there were dresses that would suit her stature. Also known as 'the Lady is short and so are you'. She opened the door with a creak and stepped in, seeing the ornate furniture and nodding her approval. Not exactly to her own taste, but she could appreciate the craftsmanship and the money that went into it. She headed straight to one of the wardrobes, which may have seemed a lot but she had seen the TARDIS wardrobe and she smiled at how her perception of everything had changed. She began pulling out dresses and held them up against herself whilst looking in the mirror. Most of them were met with either a grimace or a laugh, not to her taste although fitting for the Victorian period if she remembered anything from school.

She laughed again in disbelief. She'd met _Queen Victoria_! The woman was exactly how she pictured her to be, all calm and collected. Her head held high, and in the mourning attire she'd seen her depicted in all her childhood in textbooks. She hadn't liked History much at school, but she remembered the times they'd have to go in dressed as urchins for 'Victorian Day', where they'd spend hours learning about how the people lived and about the Queen the period was named after. She'd found it fascinating, although she also remembered at the flare of anger she'd get in sympathy of all the working class children like her, forced to work instead of play. Even now she could feel the rise of indignation at it.

So, it was with a sense of duty that she just _knew_ she'd need to get the Queen to say it. Her infamous catchphrase 'We are not amused'. That and the tenner the Doctor would have to pay up.

She picked out a lovely TARDIS blue velvet dress, holding it against her and swaying it absentmindedly. It reminded her of Danni, and the blue dresses she was known to wear. If she had a bag, she'd have 'borrowed' it and taking it back to the TARDIS to give to her. She'd always felt the need to cheer Danni up, because the Doctor had been quite cruel to her the last couple of times she'd appeared. It seemed to have started after he regenerated, but neither of them would tell Rose what had happened on Satellite 5 and so she was destined to grump around, sorting out their messes.

Either way, she placed the dress on the bed as the start of what was going to be her 'maybe' pile and headed over to the other wardrobe to see what dresses it held. She opened it up and jumped back in surprise as a woman, who Rose had no idea had been in there, screamed in terror. She blinked at the sight of the maid cowering in there, clutching something to her chest tightly as she stared back at Rose wide-eyed.

_~0~0~0~_

Rose managed to coax the poor girl out of her hiding place with gentle, reassuring words. She moved them both to the bed, and sat her down before perching on the edge next to her. The maid looked terrified, and was still clutching whatever it was close to her chest.

"I can help you." Rose reassured her, "but you have to tell me what's happened." The maid nodded.

"They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady." She whispered in reply, her voice choking on her sobs. Rose reached out and rubbed her arm comfortingly, giving it a little squeeze.

"Listen - I've got a friend, he's called the Doctor - he'll know what to do." Rose told her firmly.

"That's what the other girl said." The maid interupted sorrowfully and Rose frowned.

"The other girl?" The maid nodded, "Ginger? Blue dress?"

"Yes, Miss." The girl confirmed, "She said that she was going to get her friend the Doctor, but then she never came back." Rose nodded vaguely, now concerned because Danni hadn't appeared so far. So, unless she was downstairs with the Doctor now, whatever had taken over the house must have gotten hold of her. She looked at the object the maid was clutching.

"Did Danni give you that?" She asked gently and the maid nodded, holding it out.

"It's wonderful." She breathed, "It lights up when you press this, and it keeps the time like a clock, but with numbers instead of dials." Rose sighed sadly, staring at the phone. So, she couldn't ring Danni.

"Okay..." She trailed off, wondering how to proceed, "You've gotta come with me." The maid shook her head, obviously still quite scared.

"Oh, but I can't, Miss. Danni said to wait." She protested meekly.

"What's your name?" Rose asked her and the maid smiled.

"Flora."

"Flora, we'll be safe." She promised, "There's more people arrived downstairs - soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Danni would be okay with this, she's my best friend." Rose smiled happily as Flora seemed to come around, "Come on. Okay? Come on." She quietly encouraged Flora to take her hand and lead her to the bedroom door. She stuck her head out, looking left and right and deciding the coast was clear lead her out into the hallway. Once they got to the Doctor, Flora could explain what was going on and they could save Danni. She didn't like the thought that she'd have to convince the Doctor to find her, she wish she knew what had changed his opinion of her so completely. He'd always been a bit wary of her, but to actually hate her was ridiculous. It must have been something to do with what she knows about the future, because Rose couldn't think of anything else that would make him so angry all the time.

They turned around the corner and Rose felt her heart clench at the sight of the guards on the floor, dressed up in fine red uniforms, but very much unconscious. She dropped to the floor next to one as Flora backed up.

"Oh, Miss. I did warn you!" She exclaimed as Rose checked for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt his neck pulsate under her fingertips.

"He's not dead... I don't think - he must be drugged or something." Rose leant back on her heels as she pondered on whether or not she could wake him as Flora screamed. She spun her head to see her being dragged away by one of the butlers who had lead her to the room. Another grabbed her, chucking a hand over her mouth and began dragging her away from the solider as she tried vainly to fight them off.

_~0~0~0~_

Rose and Flora were dragged to the cellar of the large manor house, where a group of the staff as well as a very well-to-do lady were chained to the wall. Sensing their fate was going to be the same, Rose began struggling anew. She wasn't going to be chained up.

"Rose!" Danni cried and Rose looked over, relieved to see her friend in the middle of the group, "Rose, calm down!" She told her. Rose complied and she and Flora were added to the group of people huddled in the corner. With great difficulty, the two then hugged, both very glad to see the other, although Rose was slightly worried at how tightly Danni clung to her.

"Thank God you're all right." Rose breathed anyway, "What's going on?" Danni let her go, the chain holding them together going slack and nodded to the corner of the room where she could barely make out a cage.

"I forgot." She admitted guiltily, "I didn't recognise the setting, or what Flora told me. But you've just met Queen Victoria, which means he's sorta a werewolf."

"He?" Rose asked, confused and Danni nodded slowly as a growl came from the cage, whatever it shifting towards them, "Wait, did you say 'werewolf'?" Danni tilted her head, making a face that showed she wasn't entirely sure.

"It's not a werewolf exactly." She explained, "It's an alien, I'm sure of it. But the lad's human. I think. I never really liked this episode." Rose faked a look of indignation.

"Oh, you don't like my story?" She teased and Danni nudged her.

"Hey, you're the one that keeps trying to get the Queen to say 'we are not amused'. It's embarrassing to watch." She then looked down at her hands, "After what I've just done, I'd give anything to change it for this." Rose reached out, placing a hand on her hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly and Danni shook her head, "What have you just done?"

"Nothing, it's not important." Danni told her. She'd tell her later, but now they needed to get out, "We need to contact the Doctor somehow." At this, Flora scooted a bit closer and held her hand out, the phone in her palm.

"Thank you." She offered, "I was so scared, this kept me calm. You must be so brilliant." Danni shook her head, taking it off her.

"Oh no." She replied, "If you want to put faith in anyone, let it be Rose. Savour of Universes, this one." Rose nudged her back, blushing slightly.

"She always says that." She offered as an explanation at Flora's confused look.

"It's because it's true." Danni insisted and the woman in the finery leant forward towards the little group.

"Don't make a sound." She hissed fearfully, "They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us." Rose frowned, glancing at the cage then back at the woman.

"But... he's in a cage." She pointed out, "He's a prisoner. He's the same as us." Danni shook his head.

"He's not anymore." She whispered, "They cage him to contain him, but he is very much on their side." The man in the cage looked up, opening his completely black eyes. The woman and a few of the staff whimpered, and Rose stared at him suddenly very scared.

"So, werewolf?" Rose whispered to Danni, who shrugged.

"Werewolf-ish?" She offered and Rose nodded slowly.

"Let's find out." She started to stand, Danni following her. They headed as far as they could towards the cage, Rose making it slightly nearer as she was at the end of the line and Danni was hindered by Flora being between them. The pair knelt on the floor, staring into the cage at the lad inside.

"Don't, child." The woman whispered urgently but neither of them paid attention.

"Who are you?" Rose asked loudly.

"Don't enrage him." One of the staff members warned.

"Oh hush." Danni scolded before smiling gently at the man in the cage even though in the dim light coming from the few candles scattered across the room, she doubted he could see her, "We know you're not from Earth. We have a friend who can help you get home, but we need to know where you're from first." She explained.

"Ohhh... intelligence..." The creature drawled in a sing-song voice, sending a shiver down Danni's spine. Such an evil-sounding voice, gave her the creeps.

"Where were you born?" Rose tried.

"This body?" He asked, "Ten miles away... a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart." He was snarling triumphantly at the end.

"A child?" Danni gasped in horror, "You took a child and turned him into you?" He nodded once.

"And how he screamed." Her fists clenched at her sides. Another child forced into something terrible by the adults who were supposed to look after them. Just like Kos... _the Master._ Why couldn't they just leave people alone? Instead, they inserted things into their minds, their souls and turned them into destructive forces.

"All right... so the body's human?" Rose turned to Danni, looking for confirmation. She nodded, and Rose turned back to the creature, "But what about you? The thing inside?"

"So far from home." He called almost mournfully.

"We can help." Danni offered, "Like I said, our friend can take you back home."

"Why would I leave this place?" He replied, sounding almost alarmed at the notion, "A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose."

"How would you do that?" Rose dreaded to ask, but she did anyway. They needed to find out what they were up against.

"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch." He declared happily and Rose frowned.

"You mean Queen Victoria?" She asked and he nodded.

"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions..." Suddenly, he lurched forward and they all jumped back in fright, "Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!" He cried.

"Seen what?" Rose asked and he grinned manically.

"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!" He told her and Danni's gaze hardened, knowing what he was referring to.

"That's _enough_." She snapped angrily. He kept his gaze on Rose, who was shaking slightly, confusion written over her face at the unfounded feeling of recognition she felt when he said that. What did that mean.

"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon." He replied and Danni tried to move forward.

"I said, that is _enough_!" Rose looked at her.

"What does he mean?" She asked and Danni shook her head, sending her a wavering smile.

"Nothing of importance." She repeated, unsure of what would happen if Rose was to remember being Bad Wolf.

"Oh, but it is so important." The creature cried, "The Wolf will bring the end of the universe, you shall see."

"I have seen." Danni retorted, recalling the final days of Donna Noble. Her friend, who saved them all at the sacrifice of herself. "And the Wolf failed once again. The moon sets, the sun rises."

"You have such great knowledge of the future." The creature proclaimed and she nodded.

"I do." Danni warned, "So be careful." She grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her back to the group, "I don't like him." She declared and Rose nodded.

"Yeah, I gathered. What did he mean, the end of the universe?" Danni opened her mouth, ready to tell her an edited version of the truth with some very important details cut out, when a couple of the women gasped in shock as two large wooden hatches on the other side of the room opened, shining the moonlight from the full moon that appeared to be outside onto the boy in the cage. He crawled over to the side of his cage, pressing his face between the bars.

"Moonlight." He let out in a pleasure-filled drawl, causing Danni to shift uncomfortably on the spot. She knew that sound, that lust-filled relief that was very evident in his voice. She'd begged for the drumming in very much the same voice, and she hated the fact that it reminded her of the relief she received from Kos... from _him_ afterwards.

Rose watched her bit her lip and looked down, away from the caged man across from them. What was going on with her?

_~0~0~0~_

_Ugh, this is not the episode I wanted to do at all, but The Eleventh Hour wasn't playing so you've got a bit of Ten. Well, actually, no Ten at all at the moment but next chapter there will be XD And he's going to be a right bastard, just like we like Rose-Ten XD_

_Er... Last of the Time Lord AU part 1 is up in my Outtakes, if you're interested. Part 2 is coming along nicely and is also the reason I think I'm struggling with this one a little. Once a plot bunny gets in my head, it's hard to get rid of until I write it down. Which, quite honestly, is a right pain XD_

_Couple of review notes..._

_Yes, the fact that Danni was transported to an alternate timeline will be explained later on :) Hopefully you will think it's plausible, it's something I'm rather worried about :)_

_I'm glad you like Danni XD I know my update schedule is very erraticO, isn't it ;) It's because Sunday and Wednesday and two of my busiest days in the week now, which they weren't when I first set them two days as my update days. I'm thinking about changing them, but then I think I've changed them enough and... I don't know, but they'll always be up at some point on them days :)_

_I'm not great at proof-reading, really XD There's probably loads more, I just never get around to changing them. You're all stars for putting up with it, really :)_

_I was a bit hesitant on having Danni get into the Pandorica with him, but if you're read other episodes (such as The Girl(s) who Waited) you'll see that my version of Eleven is quite possessive of her, and I thought that he'd rather her not exist with him than exist without him. And while he might have moved on from her time with the Master by the time of Eleven, there is still plenty of Ten who hasn't. I hope when we get to them resolving it, it's up to your expectations :)_


	13. The Desired Reaction

The man in cage began to change in front of their eyes, twisting and screaming in pain as the wolf inside him broke free, changing his outer appearance to match the one inside. Danni turned to Rose, eyes wide in fright as Rose watched with a horror-filled fascination.

"We need to get out of here!" She exclaimed in panic. Rose nodded, looking around for a way to escape. There was a door leading out across the room from them, but they were all chained together to a hook on the wall.

"What about that?" She nodded at the wall, "These dungeons are old even now. Maybe we can break it off."

"It's worth a shot." Danni agreed, turning to the others, "Right, you lot!" She barked, "We're going to get up, and we're gonna pull." The pair scrambled up and pulled once, quickly realising that they were the only ones trying to escape. Danni glared at them, feeling a bit peculiar because she couldn't put her hands on her hips, like she did when anyone, especially the Doctor wasn't behaving, "Look, unless you want to _die_ we have to work together." She looked pointedly at the Lady in finery, "_All_ of us. Now get up, and start bloody pulling!" They all did as the young girl commanded, scrambling up and grabbing hold.

"Right, one, two, three, pull!" Rose commanded loudly and they all began to pull at the chain, groaning loudly in their struggle.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor ran down the corridor, Sir Robert hot on his trail. So much for a nice evening with Queen Victoria, Rose was in danger and he had to save her. He'd get to the bottom of the chanting, and the little boys being stolen from their homes later. She was what was important, and he couldn't let her be eaten by some sort of werewolf.

"This way!" Sir Robert called, turning off the main hallway, running down the stairs. There was a door at the bottom, the basement if the Doctor had to guess, and he rattled the handle but the door didn't open.

"Eugh, why did it have to be wood?" The Doctor shouted angrily, pulling back and kicking it once. It budged, but only slightly and the second kick threw it open. He dashed inside, grinning in relief at the sight of Rose, chained to a bunch of other people but very much alive and safe. Then his grin faltered at the red-head next to her. Why the hell did _she_ have to be there?

"Where the _hell_ have you been?" Rose shouted angrily and his attention was pulled back to her. He shot her a cheeky grin before turning to see the 'werewolf' grab hold of the bars of it's cage, snarling viciously at them all.

"Oh, that's beautiful!" The Doctor breathed in awe as the beast tore the bars clean off the cage, splintering it with a howl. Now free from the wall, the chain falling in-between their cuffs and onto the floor, Rose and Danni began ushering everyone out urgently as the Doctor stared at the creature. He then stepped back, joining the two women's efforts.

"Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!" He repeated hurriedly, unable to take his eyes of the 'werewolf'. The last of the staff scrambled out and Rose turned to the Doctor, who was still staring at the creature like he was impressed.

"Come on..." She cried, dragging Danni out with her. The Doctor followed, but only after the 'werewolf' chucked the top of the cage across the room, narrowly missing his head. He slammed the door shut behind him, sonicing it shut.

"Well, nice job on saving Rose _again._" He snapped at Danni as he fell into step with the pair, pushing in between them so one girl was on either side. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Back off, she was down there long before either of us were here." She snapped, "Right, Danni?" She looked past the Doctor at Danni expectantly, but was surprised by the guilty look on her face.

"Sorry, Rose." She murmured apologetically, "I should have tried harder."

"But you didn't do anything..." Rose began to defend.

"Why change a habit of a lifetime?" The Doctor interrupted harshly as they entered the cloakroom, where the Steward was handing out guns to everyone.

"Arms... and you Clive," He was saying, shooting a particularly dark glare at one young man, "Ready everyone?" He ran over to the Lady, "Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen." He commanded, Lady Isobel rushing over to her husband.

"I can't leave you. What will you do?" She sobbed and he smiled bravely at her.

"I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me - just go." He told her. She pulled him in for a kiss before turning to all her maids.

"All of you at my side, come on!" She commanded and the group left the way they came. The Doctor, after making sure that the men were all armed and ready for what was coming, heading back over to Rose, pulling out his screwdriver again and holding it to the cuffs snapped around her wrists.

"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths," The Doctor rattled off quickly, "did it say what it wanted?"

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it." Rose replied, looking terrified. He chucked the handcuffs to one side, opening his mouth to ask her if she was all right when the sound of splintering wood filled the air, the 'werewolf' having broke from the room. The Doctor jogged cautiously into the hallway, seeing the creature stood there, panting as it stared back for just a moment before growling and charging at him. He jumped and ran back into the room, grabbing Rose by the arm and pulling her behind the line of men waiting, guns aimed at the door. One of the stable-boys took hold of Danni, shooting her a reassuring smile before also pushing her behind the line. Rose reached out and took her hand, Danni's still bound in front of her as the creature charged into the room.

"Fire!" The Steward cried and they did, the wolf howling in pain and fright as it turned and ran back out the room, "Fire!" He screamed again and they shot at the doorway. Rose's grip tightened on her hand at each gun shot and Danni rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand, trying to reassure her even though she was terrified herself. The guns still smoked, but the men began lowering their guns when it became clear the wolf was no longer trying to attack.

"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me." The Doctor cried but the Steward shot him a look of disbelief.

"I'll not retreat." He declared cockily, "The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."

"But it's not from Earth!" Danni exclaimed, "It _will_ kill you, please come upstairs."

"You would do well to keep a hold of your lady friend, Doctor." The Steward snarled, he did not take orders from such a common little girl.

"Oh, she is not a lady, nor my friend." The Doctor snapped, Danni wincing at his words. But they were good, she knew. Anything was better than the forgiveness Eleven had shown her. The pain, the heartbreak in some twisted way made her feel better, made her feel like she was at least sort of being punished for what she had done, "But she is right. I'm telling you, come upstairs!"

"And I'm telling you, _sir_," The Steward bit out, "that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." He took purposeful steps towards the doorway, looking out into the hallway before walking back, a triumphant grin on his face, "Must've crawled away to die-" He cut himself off with a scream as a giant paw smashed through the ceiling above, pulling him up and through the hall. Danni and Rose stared in horror as the sound of him being devoured alive was pierced with his agonised screams.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor shouted, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her from the room as he ran. Danni continued to stare, tears in her eyes because the man might have been arrogant, but he still didn't deserve to die like that. No one deserved to die alone. And she'd left him, on the floor, bleeding, the gun shot still ringing...

The wolf dropped down with a howl and she turned, running after her two friends and Sir Richard, who paused to wait for her to catch up. They headed upwards again, towards the main floor. Danni tripped, unable to steady herself with her hands still bound in cuffs and she fell as they burst into the hallway. The Doctor turned and sneered at her on the floor.

"You are useless, aren't you?" He mocked and Rose shoved past him angrily, helping Danni up, who didn't reply. Because yes, she was useless.

_~0~0~0~_

After they had found Queen Victoria, and found that they weren't able to get out of the windows due to the mansion house being surrounded by monks with guns, the wolf found them, trying to break down the door between the last hallway and the next. His claw poked through the shattered wood and Rose turned to the Doctor.

"What do we do?" She exclaimed.

"We... run!" The Doctor offered.

"Is that it?!" She shouted angrily and he glanced over his shoulder.

"You got any silver bullets?" He asked her and she looked at him incredulously.

"Not on me, no!" She snapped in reply. He turned to Danni.

"Don't suppose there's any chance of you being prepared?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I didn't know I was coming here." She told him meekly and he rolled his eyes.

"Of course, I forgot." He taunted before turning back to the rest of the group, "There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog." He jogged on the spot, "Good for the health. Come on!" He grabbed the Queen's hand, pulling her first up the stairs as the sound of the wolf breaking through the door followed them up.

"It's coming!" Danni cried and he shot her an unimpressed look over his shoulder.

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, but I had noticed." He told her and she blushed in embarrassment. Eleven would have comforted her. Not that she deserved comforting, but he wouldn't have outright insulted her. She deserved it though, oh it was so confusing, "Come on! Come on!" They ran around a corner, the wolf almost on them when a man in a red uniform appeared and shot it once in the face. The wolf roared as it fell back and he joined them around the corner.

"I'll take this position and hold it." He told them as he reloaded his gun, before looking up at them, "You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty," He looked at the Queen, remorseful, "I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty." The other four looked at her, panting as she held a hand to her chest to calm her own beating heart.

"I have it. It's safe." She replied with no further explanation, their curiosities peaking further.

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector." He ordered the Doctor, who blinked in surprise, "And you, Sir Robert - you're a traitor to the crown." He raised his gun, cocking it as he readied himself to attack the creature.

"Bullets can't stop it!" The Doctor insisted urgently but the man looked him straight in the eye, determined and not the least bit frightened.

"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" They complied, running down the hallway as the man stepped out into the open space, shooting at the beast. Rose and Danni froze, watching in horror as the wolf pounced on the officer, taking it's time to kill him as he screamed. Danni reached out, grabbing Rose by the hand.

"Rose, sweetie, come on!" She cried, pulling her into the room the Doctor had lead the other two into, the Doctor and Sir Robert slamming the double doors shut behind them.

_~0~0~0~_

Danni had tried to help barricade the doors, but after the Doctor had shouted at her for getting the way she had moved off to the side. It wasn't entirely her fault, after all she was still bound at the wrists and didn't have much scope for movement, but she had tried. Still, she had said nothing, letting him berate her and taking it like she should. She sat on one of the benches lining the walls, curling up and away from the scene playing out behind her. She had noticed that if she didn't intervene, most things happened as she knew they should and the Queen would be bringing up the lack of Scottish accent any moment now, so she left them to it. Instead, she shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, popping the back off and inserting the SIM card once again. Which was slightly awkward with the lack of dexterity she was suffering from. With shaking hands, she turned the phone on and did the one thing she'd never done before whilst with the Doctor, she rang him. There was a couple of rings, then...

"_Danni-Girl!_" He cheered from the other side and she smiled, tears building in her eyes at the sound of another Ten.

"Hello." She replied shakily, "I thought you might be Eleven, but I'm kinda glad it's you."

"_Are you at Jack's?_" He asked, "_I can come pick you up._" She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. She looked over at the room, where the Queen was openly glaring at the Doctor.

"No, no. I'm... well, I'm with you." She explained, her voice hitching, "Younger version and all. Who are you with?"

"_Donna._" He replied, sounding concerned, "_Danni, what's wrong?_" She tried to laugh off his concern, but a quiet sob broke from her throat.

"Nothing, I'm- I'm fine." She told him, "I'm with Rose, at any rate. Imagine her face if there were two of you. She wouldn't know whether to scream or salivate."

"_Oh, I see. Look, you know I didn't mean..._"

"I just wanted," She interrupted, "I just wanted to say sorry. Sorry for not saving Rose, or you. Or helping Martha. And I'm sorry, I'm so, _so_ sorry about Kos-The Master." She tried to stop crying, glancing over to see if anyone had noticed, but they all seemed preoccupied with being told off by the Queen. Good, "I didn't... I know I did bad, I really do. I just want you to know how sorry I am."

"_Stop it._" He snapped lowly before there was some muffled noise on the other side, "_No, Donna give me..._"

"_Danni?_" Donna's voice called, "_What's he done now?_" Danni couldn't help but laugh in relief at Donna's angry tone, the other four looking over in surprise at her.

"Nothing, nothing at all." She promised, "I've got to go, Queen Victoria is about to behead me."

"_Wait, Queen Vic..._" But Danni hung up before the question was finished. She smiled brightly over at them, hiding her tears.

"So, where were we?" She asked.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor worked his way around the room, trying to spot whatever it was the had driven the creature away. It couldn't get in this room, that much was obvious but why? His fingers trailed along the woodwork on the wall thoughtfully as he glanced over at Danni. Rose had gone to see the girl while he worked and had her arm wrapped around her. If only she knew the truth, what the stupid little girl had gone and done Rose wouldn't be so friendly. But he couldn't risk telling her, he wasn't sure all the Vortex was out of her head, and if he triggered a memory then... well, he didn't want to contemplate it. He was going to save her from everything from now on, and not let Danni hurt her again.

He frowned as Rose pulled her in for a tight hug, the girl was crying. He frowned, a flash of concern hitting him from no where much like it had back on New Earth. He hoped she wasn't too scared. Because he didn't like anyone to be scared.

He turned back to the wall, running his finger over a particularly odd carving of an ornate bunch of mistletoe.

"Mistletoe..." He murmured, looking up, "Sir Robert, did you father put that there?"

"I don't know, I suppose..." The man offered with a shrug. It had just always been there, he'd never taken much notice.

"On the other door, too..." The Doctor pointed out, "A carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder..." He climbed up the barricade they'd created, leaning forward and licking the woodwork, "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe," He cried, jumping back down, "it's been worked into the wood like a varnish! How clever was your dad? I love him!" He looked over at Rose, the two women looking at him with slightly disgusted faces, "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked and he nodded.

"Well, it thinks it is." He replied, "The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things."

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon." Sir Robert pointed out and the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" He mocked.

"You're being rude again." Danni called over and he shot her a look.

"Miss Obvious strikes again." He snapped, "I know, I meant that one as well." He rushed over to one of the other walls, "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world." He reached into his pocket, pulling his glasses out and putting them on, "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have." He picked up a book and tossed it to Rose, who caught it with a grunt, "Arm yourself."

_~0~0~0~_

_Short chapter is short, I know :( I feel bad when I don't update with proper long chapters for you guys, but my life is so busy right now and I want to give you something..._

_On the plus side, we've got mean-Ten. Mean for the sake of mean Ten at that. He does have some reasoning in his head for it, but really I just like him giving Danni attitude. It's so fun to write when she's not doing what I want her to do :)_

_Quick note, I will be doing Human Nature. T'is a very good one for me, that. Just trying to figure out where to slot it in, but I'll give you a little spoiler and say John Smith and Danielle get to dance at the village dance, but he still takes the Matron as his date ;)_


	14. The Breaking Point

Rose and Danni stood by the foot of the library ladder, Danni holding a pile of books the Doctor had passed them for Rose as Rose flicked through them. Well, more like chucked at Danni but it was neither here nor there. Danni actually had very little recognition of this episode, although as with all things her memories of most episodes were starting to fade. Little pieces of information that she would have known when she'd first landed, like someone's name or species, had just disappeared, replaced by the newer memories of this universe. Sometimes it frustrated her to not be as helpful as she once was, but she was starting to experience more and more unknowns and that she loved. Plus, she'd learnt a long time ago to not give this Doctor hints, he hated the fact that she knew more than him. And the mood he was in, it was best not to get on his bad side whilst they were hiding from a 'werewolf'.

"Biology, zoology..." Rose listed as she discarded one book and opened the next, "there might be something on wolves in here..." Danni slammed her own book shut, chucking to the floor.

"What about Medieval folklore?" She called, "They may have been here for centuries?" The Doctor, who was scanning titles and dismissing them as he went along, pulled out another book and quickly passed it to Rose.

"Maybe not." He snapped, reaching for one particular book, "Hold on, what about this?" She caught it one-handed and placed it at the top of Danni's pile.

"... some form of explosive..." Sir Robert suggested, flipping through one of his late father's scientific journals he'd saved over the years. The Doctor, who had pulled out his own book, nodded as he quickly scanned through all the pages.

"Hmm, that's the sort of thing. Ooh..." He paused on a page, it immediately taking his interest. He jumped down from the ladder and over to a table, the other three following him. He laid it out and pointed to an illustration of a meteorite falling into a landscape, "Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth."

"A spaceship?" Rose suggested but Sir Robert shook his head.

"A shooting star." He corrected, reading from the description under the illustration, "'In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.' That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery."

"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked, confused. She turned to Danni, who just shrugged, having no idea herself. Rose was always quick to think that she had all the answers, much like the younger Amy did. Somehow, although there were so many times she didn't have any clue of what was happening, Rose never lost that sheer belief she had in the ginger girl. If Danni hadn't thought her faith completely unfounded she would have thought it cute.

"Maybe just a single cell survived." The Doctor offered, "Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host."

"But why does it want the throne?" Sir Robert asked, shooting a glance at the Queen, who had been sat majestically in a chair as they'd rushed around. Whilst quite capable of looking after herself, she did have other people to do that for her.

"That's what it wants." Rose interjected, "It said so, the... the Empire of the Wolf." The Doctor paused, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

"Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated... starships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake..." He mused darkly. The Queen, disturbed by the talk of extra terrestrials and murderous wolves, stood up, pulling all their attentions to her.

"Sir Robert!" He strode over, "If I am to die here..."

"Don't say that, Your Majesty." He begged her and she offered him a grave smile in return.

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me." She boldly admitted, "But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself."

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor scoffed and she regarded him coldly.

"Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this."

"Please don't sell yourself short, Your Majesty." Danni told her, "There is nothing on this Earth more precious than a life." The Queen smiled softly at the red-headed child, in a state of undress only slightly more modest than the Rose girl. She could see something in her eyes, a deep sense of loss and regret, that she herself had mirrored since the loss of her husband and it made her sympathetic. That and the cruel way this 'Doctor' seemed to be treating her, giving her yet another reason to be distrustful of him.

"This is." She replied, reaching into her bag and pulling out a large diamond, cut into a typical diamond shape, glistening in the moonlight. Danni's mouth fell open slightly at the sheer size of it

"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" Rose asked in shock as she and the Doctor stepped slowly towards the Queen.

"Oh, yes..." The Doctor replied lowly, "the greatest diamond in the world."

"Given to me as the spoils of war." The Queen explained, "Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die."

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough." The Doctor dismissed before holding his hand out to her, "Can I...?" She looked him over calculatingly then handed the precious stone to him. He immediately turned to Rose, the pair huddling together and he twisted the diamond to make in shine.

"That is so beautiful." He remarked.

"How much is that worth?" Rose asked and he shot her a smile.

"They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week." She whistled lowly at that.

"Good job my mum's not here." Rose commented, "She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."

"And she'd win." The Doctor retorted. At the mention of the wolf, Sir Robert shot a look at the barricade.

"Where is the wolf? I don't trust this silence." He told them, walking over to check it's stability.

"Rose?" Danni called, pulling the blonde's attention to her much to the Doctor's displeasure, "When's the last time you spoke to your mum?" Rose shrugged.

"A couple of days before we came here." She replied before smiling, "Oh yeah, she told me to tell you Lisa has almost got her sight back in one eye." This caused Danni to properly smile and Rose to grin back. Lisa was the name the Controller had chosen. At first Jackie had been completely resistant to the idea, but when the Doctor had led the neglected girl into the flat, her mothering instinct had set in and she had immediately changed her mind. The Controller had chosen the name 'Lisa' herself, from the Simpsons, which was the first television show she actually had watched rather than had streamed through her brain. Danni was always checking up on her whenever she turned up.

"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked the Queen as regarded the diamond.

"My annual pilgrimage." She explained. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting."

"Oh, but it's perfect." Rose exclaimed with a frown and the Queen smiled fondly.

"My late husband never thought so." She replied. The Doctor nodded, turning to Rose.

"Now, there's a fact - Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." He rambled off, talking about it as if it was a fact in a textbook, rather than the woman's husband. If the Queen noticed, however, she made no move to be outwardly offended, but Danni was acutely aware. It was something he improved on marginally as the years went on, started realising more and more that there were people behind the stories, although occasionally even Eleven would fall into the habit of being so excited over sharing his knowledge that he would forget that the person in question was right there.

"He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." The Queen replied quietly, a sad sheen to her eyes.

"Unfinished..." The Doctor repeated, that look on his face that told everyone who knew him something had sprung into his mind, "Oh, yes!" He tossed the diamond back to the Queen, who caught it, "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research - your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond," He began pacing, speaking faster and faster as he worked through the idea that had popped into his head, "hold on, hold on - all these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if - this house, it's a trap for you - is that right, Ma'am?" He asked the Queen, who was suddenly regarding him with some concern.

"Obviously." She replied and he shook his head, running both hands through his hair.

"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" He suggested.

"Explain yourself, Doctor." She demanded.

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you... but for the wolf." Danni groaned, remembering what was happening as plaster fell from the ceiling. The Doctor, wide-eyed, joined her in looking upwards at the ceiling. There was a giant glass skylight, where the wolf was perched, growling menacingly, "That wolf there…" The glass under it's foot began cracking and the Doctor sprung into action, "Out! Out! Out!" He cried and they all turned, running to the door. Piece by piece they all broke down the barrier to the door, including the Queen, and the Doctor ushered her out first. Sir Richard and Rose quickly followed on her heels and the Doctor grabbed the doors, pulling them closed with a slam. Danni hesitated, waiting for him despite his attitude, it had never changed her feelings for him and she wasn't about to let him get eaten if she had any chance of saving him. He shot her a dark look, as if mocking her for thinking he'd want her to wait, then they followed the trio, catching up relatively easy.

"Gotta get to the observatory!" The Doctor exclaimed, taking over the lead with his long strides and Rose fell to the back with Danni. As they skidded around the corner it became quickly apparent that the wolf has escaped and was on their trailed. Rose caught sight of it and froze in terror. It reared up in front of her, roaring and she screamed. Danni grabbed her, chucking her behind her on the floor just as Lady Isobel appeared, chucking a boiling pan of water on it. The wolf roared in pain, falling back onto all fours and running away before another attack could occur.

"Good shot!" The Doctor exclaimed and she nodded.

"It was mistletoe!" The Lady explained. The Doctor, Rose and Danni followed the wolf to the end of the corridor, trying to see where it had run off to but none of them could spot it. They rejoined as Sir Robert sending his wife with the maids, including Flora Danni was relieved to notice, back to the kitchen. The Doctor patted the man on the arm as he ran off.

"Come on!" He commanded and the group set off again.

"The observatory's this way!" Sir Robert explained as they reached a staircase. The Doctor motioned him to go first, then Rose and the Queen, before stepping in front of Danni, who rolled her eyes but joined the rear. As they reached the top, she yelped and skidded to the floor again. Seriously, her balance was bad at the best of times, with her hands _still_ bound by tight cuffs it was near impossible to keep her footing on anything but a flat floor. Sir Robert led the Queen and Rose into the observatory but the Doctor stopped, watching Danni scramble up with some difficulty, a sneer on his face.

"Always holding everything up, aren't you?" He retorted and Danni felt her fingers tense, something inside her snapping.

"Well, you didn't have to wait for me, did you?" She snapped in reply, "Or you could do what you did for everyone else, and remove these bloody handcuffs!"

"Why should I?" He asked, "I thought Danielle Fielding had everything worked out, always knew what was going on and always found a way out." She stared at him, incediously.

"What the hell gave you that idea?" She shouted, her voice squeeking at the sound of a far-off howl, "You know, you could try and be a bit more understanding." His eyebrows shot up into his hair.

"_Understanding?_" He exclaimed, "I think I've been more than bloody understanding. I've trusted you in the past, haven't I? And where did that get me, eh? I had to regenerate!"

"Look, I explained that! Rose had to do it, otherwise the whole universe might have been taken over by Daleks!" She screamed, "You know, I'm so exhausted with your bloody mood changes! One minute you're lovely, next your an absolute dickhead! Either suck it up and shut up, I don't care which but I don't want you talking to me like that anymore!" The Doctor's mouth fell open in outrage.

"Excuse me?" He asked dangerously quietly, "You know, it is _my_ TARDIS that you call home, I can take it away just as easily?"

"_Your_ TARDIS?" She repeated, wishing once again she could place her hands on her hips, "Do you have any idea how childish you sound?"

"Childish?" He exclaimed, "_I'm_ childish?" She nodded.

"Yes, you are." She replied, "When are you just going to accept that I'm going to be here for a long time, and there is nothing you can do about it? Because, trust me, if I could stop jumping around you'd never see me again!"

"Don't tell me what to do." He grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her down the hallway, glancing at each door until he paused, grinning evilly, "If you're so desperate to get away, here!" He opened the door and forcefully chucked her in. She yelled, hitting the wall of the cupboard as he slammed the door shut, bathing in her darkness. The sonic went off on the other side and she began banging on the door.

"Let me out, you prick!" She screamed, banging as hard as she could, but there was no answer. The slamming of another door proved to her he'd left her behind. She turned, trying to see a wall, or something as the darkness began closing in on her. Her chest tightened as a wave of terror washed over her and she felt herself began to panic. Why did it have to be the dark? Why not outside, or at least in a time with electricity, or a candle maybe. She reached one of her shaking hands into her pockets and pulled out her phone, ready to ring Rose to get her out. Then there was a howl, a closer howl than before and she realised just exactly what he'd done. Whether he realised it or not, and even though he was furious she doubted he did, he'd left her to the mercy of the werewolf. She started her panicking anew, shaking the handle wildly.

"Doctor, let me out! Let me out!" She screamed, tears in her eyes. Oh God, she was going to get eaten by a bloody werewolf! This couldn't be happening, she silently begged as she knocked harder, "Please, I'm sorry! Let me out, let me out!" The wolf howled again, this time she knew it was closing in on her. It was too late, but she shook the door handle harder and harder, before she began chucking herself at it. The force jarred her shoulder painfully, but she pulled back and threw herself at it again. The door shook, but it didn't budge. Her small stature was nothing against the heavy wood the house was full of. She was going to die, wasn't she? A sob broke from her throat as she tried again and again. She had to get out, she couldn't just stand there and wait to be ripped to shreds.

She sobbed in relief as her arm began to burn, never would she have thought that she would be so happy to feel that tell-tale sign. The force of the transport hit her stomach, throwing her back into another wall. She groaned in pain, squeezing her eyes shut as she rubbed her shoulder. When she opened them, her mouth dropped. It was still pitch black. She reached out in front of her, there was a wall? Had she not moved? What was happening? Was the wolf coming. She spun around, trying to find the door but there was nothing. She started trembling, the pit in her stomach ever growing and she decided to just bang on the wall.

"Doctor, please! Let me out, let me out, let me out!" She screamed. Something grabbed her arm and she screamed as it pulled her into a crouching position, yanking her out of whatever hellhole she'd been trapped in. There, grinning down at her, was an incredibly sooty Eleven with the hugest grin on his face, his hair a mess.

"Chimney, Christmas." He told her as an explanation, frowning at the look of terror and relief that she seemed to be conflicting in her head. She then chucked her arms around him, buring her face in his chest as she sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her, shushing her gently, "Hey, it's okay." She pulled back, the tears joined with a furious look his winced at before she justified it.

"You left me to be eaten by a bloody werewolf!" She screamed, smacking him hard.

"Ow!" He cried, rubbing his arm with a pout, "When was that?"

"In Scotland! Queen Victoria, remember?" The guilty look on his face said that he very much remembered that.

"Oops." He muttered and she smacked him again.

"'Oops'? You left me to die, and all I get it bloody 'oops'?!"

"I have no idea what is happening, but it is all incredibly dull." A voice drawled and she looked around the Doctor to see an old man wearing a very fine suit, with a can and a family who looked significantly less well-off than he did. There was a large metal box just off to the side.

"Oh, I know what this is." She whispered; A Christmas Carol. She smiled to herself, fish in the fog. Much more preferable than a werewolf.

"Get them out of here." Kazran, she couldn't help but smile as she remembered his name, commanded, "And next time, try and find me some funny poor people." Two of his butlers grabbed the two, the Doctor protesting at them manhandling Danni as they were pushed towards the family, who were being given the same treatment. The little boy dodged the attempts, dashing under the arms of the men and picking up a piece of coal, he hurled it at the mean old man. It hit him on the head, causing Kazran to see red and storm over, hand raised to strike him.

"No, stop, don't!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Let him alone!" Danni yelled angrily.

"Don't you dare! You leave him!" The father joined in as Kazran paused, hand raised as he looked the terrifed little boy. He lowered his hand and turned to his staff.

"Get him out of here! Get that foul-smelling family out of here! Out!" He screamed and the family was dragged out. He snarled to himself, striding back to his chair when he spotted the Doctor and Danni still there, the Doctor's arms wrapped protectively around Danni, "What? What do you want?"

"A simple life with Danni." The Doctor answered automatically, "But you didn't hit the boy."

"Of course he didn't." Danni replied gently, "He's not a monster."

"Don't presume to know me." Kazran snarled, "I will next time!" The Doctor shook his head, letting his arms drop.

"No, you see, you won't. Now why?" He walked up to Kazran, looking at him quizzically, "What am I missing?" He looked back over a Danni and she smiled with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

"It's the painting, dear." She offered and he turned back, spotting the painting of an older man who looked incredibly similar to Kazran.

"Thank you, Danni-Girl." He retorted.

"What are you two on about?" Kazran snapped and the Doctor nodded to the painting, "There's a portrait on the wall behind me. Looks like you, but it's too old, so it's your father. All the chairs are angled away from it. Daddy's been dead for 20 years. But you still can't get comfortable where he can see you. There's a Christmas tree in the painting, but none in this house, on Christmas Eve. You're scared of him and you're scared of being like him. And good for you, you're not like him, not really. Do you know why?" The Doctor reeled off quickly, Kazran almost memorised by the quickness he was speaking at.

"Why?" Kazran whispered and the Doctor leant in closer.

"Because you didn't hit the boy. Merry Christmas, Mr Sardick." Kazran's face contorted in anger."

"I despise Christmas!" He shouted, trying to frighten the Doctor but he just shrugged before walking away.

"You shouldn't. It's very you." He told the man, wrapping an arm around Danni's waist and leading her towards the door.

"It's what? What do you mean?" Kazran called after them. The Doctor paused, looking over his shoulder.

"Halfway out of the dark." He lead Danni passed the servants, and out of the grand building. She leant on his arm.

"Christmas, eh?" She asked him, "The most wonderful time of the year. I do love it." He placed a kiss on her hair.

"I know." He told her, "But not yet, we have Ponds to save."

_~0~0~0~_

_Bit of a jump, yeah? Let me know what you think, reviews are loved and kept forever in my emails and in my heart!_


	15. The Young and the Old

As much as she tried to bask in the relief of being zapped away from the werewolf and with Eleven, her insides started twisting again, that deep, destructive feeling of heavy-set guilt eating away at her once again. If the Doctor noticed, he didn't comment on it. When he came up with his ridiculous, if not completely adorable, idea of changing Kazran in a Christmas Carol-style attempt at redemption, he'd not questioned her as she tore her hand away from his grasp or, as she did on the TARDIS on the way back to his childhood, taken a couple of steps backwards. He'd just rambled on as normal, letting her have her own space as he explained how he was going to help the little boy who'd been left, abused and alone by his father.

"If we give him good memories, they'll alter his perception of the rest of reality." He'd explained to her. Danni nodded along, because that was what happened.

"And in turn will save the ship." She finished and he grinned, pointing at her with both hands.

"Exactly, you clever thing, you." He praised and she blushed. He rushed over to the doors, stepping outside onto a roof and Danni followed with a frown.

"Why are we outside?" She asked.

"Well, I didn't want to startle him by materialising out of thin air." He explained as if it was obvious.

"That's never the case. You love appearing out of nowhere, it's like your trademark." He shushed her, practically admitting that he'd mistimed and headed over to a window, pushing the circular pieces of glass open. Inside was a young boy, staring at them in wonder.

"Who are you?" He asked and the Doctor smiled.

"Hi. I'm the Doctor." He motioned to Danni, "This is my Danni... this is Danni. We're your new babysitters." He jumped into the room, Danni sitting on the window ledge and sliding in much more gracefully.

"Where's Mrs Mantovani?" The young Kazran asked.

"Oh, you'll never guess! Clever old Mrs Manters, she only went and won the lottery!" The Doctor exclaimed, running over to the bed and jumping on it, bouncing like a child.

"There isn't any lottery!" Kazran protested and Danni walked over, leaning against the desk Kazran was sat at.

"We know." She told him with a knowing grin, "But she still won it, and here we are." Kazran frowned, confused as he stared up at her, trying to work out if they were telling the truth or not.

"If you're my babysitters, why are you climbing in the window?" He asked her. She opened her mouth to reply but the Doctor hopped over, standing between the two.

"Cos if we were climbing out, we'd be going in the wrong direction. Pay attention." He retorted and Danni smacked him.

"Don't be rude to the poor lad. It's only fair he ask us some questions if we're going to be in his house." She replied. Kazran blinked at her, surprised. No one had ever stood up for him before. He was always told to be quiet, or stay out of the way.

"Why are you wearing handcuffs?" He asked her curiously and she turned to look at the Doctor pointedly.

"Because _someone_ won't take them off." She replied angrily and the Doctor grimaced guiltily.

"Oh yeah, sorry." He pulled out his screwdriver, taking her hands in his and quickly unlocked them. The metal cuffs fell to the floor with a clatter but the Doctor didn't let go of her hands, rubbing his thumbs over the back of them as he smiled sadly. His gaze was locked with the little black band around her free wrist, the teleportation device Koschei had given her when he'd taken her to Wales. She couldn't take it off, every time she went to her chest would ache and she'd get flashing of him falling to the floor after Lucy had shot him. He'd tried to escape with her, he hadn't hit her. Her head was a jumble of different emotions. She wanted the Doctor to forgive her, but at the same time she wanted him to hate her. She wanted to carry one with Eleven in denial, enjoying every moment and pretending they were okay, like they'd done at Amy's wedding. She wanted to be with Koschei, she wanted him alive, but at the same time she would never willingly give the Doctor up for him. Between the two men, she'd choose the Doctor. And later versions seemed to have forgiven her, but she couldn't forgive herself.

Then there was the fact he'd married River. She'd not been past that point again since it'd happened. Jack had said the proposal had been real, but he'd still gone and married River. It wasn't a real marriage, but what did that mean? It might not have been legally binding, but if it was real to the pair of them...

The Doctor gently twisted the black band around her wrist, making it sit the right way up before letting her hands drop, giving her the jolt she needed to come back to reality.

"What's that?" Kazran asked, intrigued by the glowing green device that had been able to unlock the cuffs. Danni smiled down at him.

"That is a sonic screwdriver." She explained, "And it's going to help up lure the fish." His face lit up, hopeful for a moment before the memory of his father came back and it fell away into hardened disbelief.

"Are you both really a babysitters?" He accused and the Doctor nodded, puffing his chest out.

"I think you'll find I'm universally recognised as a mature and responsible adult." He whipped out his psychic paper and held up proudly.

"It's just a lot of wavy lines." Kazran replied, completely unimpressed. The Doctor flipped it around, seeing that the paper had, in fact, just displayed a load of lines, unable to cooperate with the lie.

"Yeah, it's shorted out. Finally, a lie too big." Danni giggled and held her hand out.

"What does mine say?" She asked and he handed it to her, a big grin on his face. He loved it when she giggled, and as she seemed sad this trip he would do anything he could to put that smile on her face, "_Danielle Fielding. Professional Babysitter._" She read out smugly, "_In charge of looking after the universe's biggest child._ Hey, that must be you." He pouted, yanking it out of her hand and putting it back in his pocket. Stupid psychic paper.

"I am _not_ a child." He grumbled before leaning in closer to Kazran, "OK, no, not really a babysitter, but it's Christmas Eve. You don't want a real one, you want us two."

"Why? What's so special about you?" Kazran asked.

"Didn't you hear Danni-Girl?" The Doctor replied teasingly, "We're going to find us some fish."

~0~0~0~

And that was how they ended up in the wardrobe. Danni had to admit that she wasn't entirely happy with this plan, and she had pointed out to the Doctor that she had just almost been killed by a werewolf whilst being locked in a cupboard, and she didn't want to go through anything like that again. The Doctor had protested, saying that he was in there with her as well, and that the door wasn't even locked so nothing bad could _possibly_ happen, jinxing the whole exercise. Kazran had stated quite surely that there was no such thing as werewolves, to which Danni had pointed out that there was no such thing as fish in the fog on some planets and he shouldn't dismiss anything until he had proof either way.

The Doctor had the screwdriver attached to a piece of string which hung outside the door like a fishing line, it tied around his finger as they waited for the fish to appear.

"So why are you so interested in fish?" The Doctor asked in a whisper, them all trying to stay quiet so they didn't scare anyway any fish that were attracted to the Doctor's screwdriver.

"Cos they're scary." Kazran offered as a reason and the Doctor nodded slowly.

"Good answer." He agreed. He was quite attracted to scary things, and things he knew nothing about. He glanced at Danni, even now he felt there was so much she was hiding. But, he was determined to find it all out.

"The wrong answer, but an answer nonetheless." Danni interjected from the other side of the boy and Kazran blushed. Like that. How did she know he was lying?

"What kind of tie is that?" Kazran asked, trying to take the focus off him and onto the Doctor.

"A cool one." The Doctor replied immediately and Danni nodded.

"The coolest." She agreed and he adjusted it smugly, obviously very happy at the woman's like of his clothings. Maybe the Doctor wanted her to be his girlfriend or something. Like he did with Meredith at school. She'd seen the fish as well.

"Why is it cool?" Kazran asked her and she shrugged.

"Why is anything cool?" She replied.

"Why are you REALLY interested in fish?" The Doctor asked Kazran, who shifted on the cold floor, wrapping his arms around he knees tighter.

"My school. During the last fog belt, the nets broke and there was an attack." He explained sadly, "Loads of them, a whole shoal. No-one was hurt, but it was the most fish ever seen below the mountains."

"Were you scared?" The Doctor asked him and he shook his head.

"I wasn't there. I was off sick." Kazran replied forlornly and the Doctor grinned.

"Ooh, lucky you." He whispered excitedly. Danni rolled her eyes and shook her head. He saw her cue and frowned, "Not lucky?"

"It's all anyone ever talks about now, the day the fish came." Kazran said, "Everyone's got a story."

"But you don't." The Doctor realised, glancing at the camera he'd brought in that was sat on the floor in front of them, all three in focus, "I see." Kazran saw his gaze shift and looked at the camera as well.

"Why are you recording this?" Kazran asked. The Doctor looked up at him and smirked.

"Do you pay attention at school, Kazran?" He asked in reply and Kazran paused, bewildered at the sudden change in subject.

"Sorry, what?"

"Cos you're not paying attention now." The Doctor continued and Kazran noticed it, the string on the Doctor's finger, gently tugging. The sign a fish was on the other side. The trio watched the string move for a moment before the Doctor held his finger to him mouth, shushing them both. He stood up, leaning against the door to listen outside.

"Doctor, are you sure?" Kazran asked and the Doctor nodded.

"Trust me." He commanded and Kazran nodded, looking away.

"OK." He replied uncertainly and the Doctor's gaze turned harder.

"Oi!" He scolded and Kazran blinked, Eyes on the tie. Look at me. I wear it and I don't care. Trust me?" Kazran grinned and nodded.

"Yes." He breathed happily and the Doctor opened the door.

"That's why it's cool." He slipped out and Danni grabbed Kazran's arm as he began to follow the Doctor out.

"We should stay here." She told the boy quietly as the Doctor pushed the door to again.

"I want to see the fish." Kazran replied just as quietly.

"It's not a fish." She explained, "It's a shark."

"A shark?" He asked in surprise and she nodded, "And he just went outside with a shark there?"

"He doesn't know it's a shark. He just thinks it fish." She explained with a smile.

"Should we get him to come back?"

"Not yet." She told him.

"Why not?"

"Because he almost got me eaten by a werewolf." She replied, "I think I deserve to scare him with a shark, don't you?" Kazran stared at her, not sure what to make of this strange woman. She didn't seem like any of the boring girls he knew from school, who were only interested in imitating their mothers and gossiping about other girls.

"Is it because you have a boy's name that you act like one?" He asked her boldly and she looked at him, confused.

"I don't think I act like a boy." She replied, "I act like I want to."

"You don't seem like any of the girls I know." He explained and she shrugged.

"They must be really boring then." She replied and he nodded.

"Extremely." They both laughed, pausing in surprise at the Doctor's exclamation of fright from outside the door.

"Doctor?" Danni called, slightly worried, "Are you okay?"

"Erm..." Was his reply.

"Maybe you should come back in and away from the shark." She called back.

"Is it really a shark?" Kazran asked, "What colour is it?"

"Big. Big colour." The door flew open and the Doctor scrambled in, closing it and pressing his back against it. The shark swan straight into it, the whole cupboard shaking at the force.

"What's happening?" Kazran asked him.

"Well, concentrating on the plusses, you've definitely got a story of your own now. Also, I got a good look at the fish, and I understand the fog, which'll help me land a spaceship in the future, and save a lot of lives. And I'll get some readings off my sonic screwdriver when I get it off the shark in your bedroom."

"So, there's a shark in my bedroom?" Kazran exclaimed, "Danni's right?"

"Danni is always right, but that's beside the point." The Doctor retorted. The shark stopped trying to smash it's way into the wardrobe. Danni took Kazran by the hand and pulled him away from the door as the Doctor looked over his shoulder at the door.

"Has it gone? What's it doing?" Kazran asked urgently.

"What do you call it if you don't have any feet, and you're taking a run-up?" The Doctor replied. Danni rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the pair.

"Move, you moron!" She exclaimed loudly as the shark burst through the wooden doors, becoming trapped by the sheer size of it's body. The three fell to the floor, Danni and the Doctor shielding the young boy. The shark began snapping at them, the screwdriver glowing in it's throat and flashing it's teeth an eerie green.

"It's going to eat us, it's going to eat us, it's going to eat us... Is it going to eat us?" Kazran asked anxiously and the Doctor looked down at him.

"Maybe we're going to eat it, but I don't like the odds." He replied and Danni nudged him angrily, "Ow!" He cried, rubbing his side.

"Of course it's not going to eat us." Danni reassured him, "You think if I knew a shark was coming I'd let it happen if we were all going to die?" Kazran shook his head and she beamed at him, "We're fine. Plus, it's stuck in the door. All we have to worry about is getting out."

"If I had my screwdriver, I could probably stun it." The Doctor mused and she glared at him.

"Well, you don't." She snapped, "It's in the belly of a fog shark. Any other great ideas?"

"It's within reach." He protested, "There's a real chance, the way it's wedged in the doorway, of keeping its mouth open."

"There is?" Kazran asked, skeptical and Danni shook her head.

"Oh no, you don't." She warned but the Doctor ignored her, turning to Kazran.

"Agree with me. Cos I've only got two goes, and then it's your turn." He rolled his sleeves up ready.

"Two goes?" Kazran exclaimed and the Doctor nodded, holding his arms aloft.

"Two arms. Right, then! OK. Geronimo! Open wide!" He jumped up, running at the shark.

"Oh, don't!" Danni cried, but it was too late.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor retrieved what was left of the screwdriver from the shark's stomach, but the poor beast had been out of it's environment for too long and was dying. That was how they met Abigail, a quite frankly stunningly beautiful woman with an even more astounding voice. With the help of her singing, and also her icebox, they were able to get the shark back up into it's natural habitat, safe and still very much alive. They took the icebox back, and Abigail stepped inside. She didn't want her family to suffer because their 'security' had escaped.

"If you should ever wish to visit again..." Abigail told them all. The Doctor leant on the edge of the icebox, crossing one ankle over the other.

"Well, you know, if Danni-Girl and I are ever in the neighbourhood..." He began.

"He comes every Christmas Eve." Kazran interrupted and the Doctor looked down at him, alarmed, "Yeah, he does, every time. He promises!"

"We both promise." Danni replied and the Doctor shook his head.

"Hold on, no we..." Kazran slammed the door shut, freezing Abigail in the second it locked. Danni looked up at the Doctor, eyes bright in joy.

"Oh, this'll be amazing!" She exclaimed, taking Kazran by the hand and leading him out of the large storage room, "I do love Christmas, you know sweetie? We'll bring loads of trees, and decorations. And cake, can't forget the cake..." She rambled as they left him standing there. He ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head fondly. She never got proper Christmas's. The last one, for her at any rate, would have been aboard the Valiant. He felt his hands tense slightly and he forced himself to relax, to let go of the jealousy that rose in his chest. He knew she chose him, that the Master might have tried to brainwash her with the drumming, but even after everything he could offer, she would still choose him. She was still his Danni-Girl, he hadn't even let the end of the universe take her away from him. Not anymore, not again. The only thing that could stop him keeping her by his side was her Manipulator zooming her away.

She was his, always and forever. If he had to live a thousand Christmas Eve's he'd make sure that she never had the desire to leave him again. He took off with large strides, following them and wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, rambling about the idea he had about dolphins and carriage rides.

She was his, always and forever. And he'd seen the wedding ring that proved it.

_~0~0~0~_

_Sorry I'm a day late. With the way my life is panning out at the moment, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Sunday and Wednesday are now the worst days for me to be updating on. So, I'm going to change it to Mondays and Fridays. You'll still get two updates a week, but they'll all be on time, which they haven't been of late. I hope that's all right. _

_Oh, and a lot of you have been wanting an Outtake about the end of Tooth and Claw. So, as an apology there will be one posted on Friday with the second update :)_


	16. The Christmas Eves

The Doctor watched Danni fiddle with the bright red Father Christmas hat on her head as she stood in-between himself and Kazran, now a year older. She'd wanted to come back and see Abigail the next Christmas Eve, and who was he to say no? And, maybe some more good memories would ensure the safety of the Ponds as well.

"Ready?" She asked Kazran with a smile, and he nodded. He reached out and pulled the door open, unfreezing Abigail at the same time they all chucked their hands in the air and cheered.

"Merry Christmas!" They all shouted and Abigail laughed in delight. They had come back, just like the young boy had said.

"Doctor!" She giggled. Danni took her hand and began leading her out of the box and to the exit of the icebox storeroom "What are we going to do?" She asked eagerly.

"The Doctor's got a great plan! Wait till you hear!" Kazran raved excitedly.

"I wouldn't say it's a great plan." Danni corrected, "I'd say it was a plan."

"Hey!" The Doctor exclaimed in offence, readjusting the harness on his shoulder, "I thought you liked it."

"I did, until you mentioned the shark." Danni retorted. Abigail looked down at the shorter woman, a frown on her face.

"Is it the same shark?" She asked, intrigued and Danni shrugged.

"I have no idea. He won't tell me." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

"Where's the fun if I spoil the surprise?" He teased her as she pouted. Abigail watched them with a fondness as Danni pushed the Doctor away. They reminded her of her dear sister and her husband. He would look upon her like she was most precious thing in creation and her sister would reply with a look of feeling incredibly unworthy. The Doctor was doing the same, it was like he couldn't believe she was in his life. It was incredibly sweet, but made all the more heartbreaking by the fact she would never have the time to find someone who looked upon her the same.

_~0~0~0~_

As the day ticked from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, then from one year to the next Kazran began his patient wait until the next festive season. Just as the shark in his bedroom story began to grow stale, the Doctor and Danni had replaced it with the story of going for shark-drawn carriage ride in the skies above as it had snowed. He knew some of the people at school didn't believe him, and that his father would rant at him for being so delusional, but he didn't care. The next Christmas the Doctor and Danni would be back, they'd go fetch Abigail and go have some incredible adventure.

Sometimes, when he was feeling lonely and maybe just a bit sad at his father's ever-horrid treatment of him, he'd use the code the Doctor had fetched to sneak into the storeroom, to where Abigail was frozen and he'd talk to her. He'd tell her what was happening, what was making him scared or upset and she'd smile back like she always did. He wasn't stupid, he knew she couldn't hear him, or that time wasn't even moving for her, but it helped. His biggest fear was turning out just like his father, but somehow she made everything seem just fine without even batting an eyelid.

_~0~0~0~_

Abigail positively beamed as the door opened again, unfreezing her to the sight of Kazran, the Doctor and Danni all cheering at her. No hats this time, just excitement at their next trip.

"Merry Christmas!" They shouted, Danni reaching in and taking the woman's hand again.

"Danni!" She laughed at the girl's eagerness as she dragged her towards that magical blue box they'd flown in that first Christmas Eve, "Where to this time?" Kazran dashed in front of them, straight through the doors as the Doctor fell into step next to Danni.

"Did I mention, at any point, all of time and space...?" He asked he, teasing her and she shook her head, eyes wide in wonder.

"It's a spacecraft?" She asked quietly and Danni shook her head.

"Oh, definitely not." She told her seriously, "_She_ is a spacecraft. The most wonderful spacecraft in the universe." The sight of the gigantic room in such a tiny space once again to Abigail's breath away. The Doctor ran around the centre column like a child, flicking and pressing things she knew she never would understand but also didn't want to. She only had so many hours left, she didn't want to waste them learning, she wanted to experience anything and everything.

Kazran, on the other hand, was staring at the Doctor in adoration. Danni had noted that this year he was wearing his very own bow tie, and he was asking the Doctor questions that the man was doing his usual, terrible job of explaining what to do. For the most part he believed everyone would just keep up with him, but no one ever could keep up with the speed he would ramble things off at. Neither could Kazran, by the looks of it, but he was enjoying just being included and the Doctor enjoyed having someone who would listen.

Danni spun the small black band she had around her free wrist. The teleport from the Valient, that day Koschei had taken her to Wales. She still couldn't bring herself to take it off, but for the most part she forgot it was there. They both were just so different. With Koschei she felt like she was suffocating, like she was being consumed by him and it was heavy and dark but so addictive at the same time. The Doctor was light and airy and she felt caught up in his whirlwind. He could have his dark moments, his Oncoming Storm was ominous and terrifying when on the wrong end of it, but moments like this were full of joy and laughter and bringing happiness to whoever he met.

"You love him very much, don't you?" Abigail asked her as she watched the ginger stare at their pilot. Startled, Danni jolted out of her thoughts and smiled sadly, confusing Abigail even more.

"Yeah, I do." Danni replied as he rambled on about the logistics of the keyboard to a fascinated boy, "But it's... it's complicated."

"Love is never complicated." Abigail replied with a smile, "It's humans that are." And Danni laughed, nodding.

"Well, you're not wrong there." She agreed, "It's just that there was someone else..." Her grip went back to the band on her wrist, "Well, a couple of someone's I suppose. Things get in the way, you do things that you wish you didn't." She sighed, running a hand through her hair and noting, with a grimace, she could really do with a shower. She'd forgotten, in her haste of getting away from the werewolf and then helping the Doctor with Kazran, that she'd been locked in a dungeon and then had appeared in a chimney, "How can he possibly forgive me?" The TARDIS landed with a gentle thud, drawing them out of their private conversation before Abigail could even make an attempt at answering.

"Ah, here we go." The Doctor dashed in his childlike giddiness to the door, taking Danni's hand out of habit even though he'd sworn to himself he'd give her time to process everything fighting it's way through her head. But, the feel of her hand clasped in his was heavenly and he wanted to enjoy every moment with her. She didn't protest, though, or pull away. In fact, she laughed in surprise as he dragged her out of the doors into the stunning surroundings of an alleyway.

"Where are we?" Kazran asked excitedly.

"Well, with all of time and space at our fingertips, I thought I'd bring us somewhere that could do Christmas right." He explained, leading the three into the bustling atmosphere of a marketplace. He watched as they all began looking around in delight at the way the street was decorated. Lanterns hung from the tops of buildings, native trees were decorated in shiny ornaments. The stallholders and customers alike were all dressed in their Sunday best, chatting and being festive with each other. It was so much different to Ember, which celebrated Christmas but it was more of a sombre affair, with the poor being kept very poor by the very rich, it was hard to get into the full spirit of the season.

"This is Felspoon." The Doctor declared, "Known famously in the galaxy for it's moving mountains, and excellent cheese making. It is _quite_ delightful."

"Felspoon?" Danni repeated, "You mean, like Doctor-Donna wanted to visit?" He nodded, bopping her on the nose.

"Correct, Danni-Girl." He praised, "But, another little-known fact is that they celebrate Christmas like nowhere else. They spend the year preparing it, like humans do and so much more as well." Kazran, who had lead quite a sheltered life, was dazzled by all the different aliens that were wandering the streets like it was their own planets. Being the 44th Century, and living on a different planet to Earth, he wasn't ignorant to the existence of other species, but he'd never really come into contact with them. His father was quite old-fashioned that way.

"It's beautiful." Abigail commented, not fazed at all by the other species, more entranced by the beauty of the town they were in.

"That's not all." The Doctor told them, "The market lasts until midnight on Christmas Eve, and everyone stays out together until the clock strikes seventeen."

"Don't you mean twelve?" Kazran interrupted and the Doctor shook his head.

"No, Felspoon has a 34 hour day." He explained, "And, when the clock strikes midnight." The town clock began chiming and the people, except perhaps a few children who darted in and out of the crowd, stopped where they were standing, "An old Earth song is sung by the entire planet." Danni waited, holding her breath for the seventeenth chime, counting along in her head.

"_When the snowman brings the snow..._" The crowd began to sing as a choir and her mouth dropped, a laugh of utter disbelief escaping from her throat, "_Well he just might like to know. He's put a great big smile on somebody's face._"

"Wizzard?" Danni asked the Doctor over the voices, "Really?"

"It's a classic!" The Doctor protested with a grin, "It's a traditional song from the planet the celebration originated from. Plus, it's your favourite, isn't it?" She laughed again, realising that he'd brought them because she liked the song and nodded, squeezing his hand.

"Yes, it is." She told him gratefully and his grin grew. He pulled her against him so her back was against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her waist as she began singing along. To his side, Abigail had grabbed the hands of a blushing Kazran and they were dancing shamelessly together to the music that a band had started to play. Snow floated down around them and the Doctor felt fantastic.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor and Kazran stepped out first, heading straight for Abigail's icebox. The blonde woman was taking another glance around the TARDIS console room, committing it all to memory. Her days may be falling fast, but she didn't know if she'd see the marvels of this wonderful machine again and she wanted to remember it before everything came to an end.

"Abigail?" Danni called gently and she smiled at the girl who looked nervous, shuffling from one foot to the other, "Do you mind using your days up for this?"

"You know?" Abigail asked, surprised and Danni nodded.

"The Doctor and Kazran don't, though. It's probably best not to tell them, either. Not yet." Danni explained, "But you could be with your family. People you cherish, if you want I can tell them to stop." Abigail shook her head.

"I cherish you all." She told her sincerely, "And this is an experience worth those hours. I'm doing so much more than I ever did with my family, and if I went home I'm sure they'd stop me. I don't think I could ever thank you for all this."

"I can't go back to my family." Danni told her, "I don't think I could do what you're doing if I had a chance to go home, if only for a day. I would regret it for the rest of my life."

"You should never regret anything." Abigail told her, taking her hand and for the first time being the one to lead someone out of the TARDIS, "Mistakes make us who were are, just as much as the times everything goes our way. You're shaped and moulded by your experiences, you should be thankful for all you go through." The Doctor looked between the two woman, a look of mild interest on his face as Danni seemed to be staring at Abigail in some sort of realisation.

"What are you two girls chatting about?" He asked and Danni turned to him, a grin spreading on her face and she let go of Abigail to hold his hand voluntarily.

"Oh, you know, make-up and boys. Girls things." He pulled an exaggerated grimace and she laughed as Abigail stepped into icebox.

_~0~0~0~_

Danni shut the door behind her as the Doctor ran to the console, heading for the next Christmas. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of this sooner. Danni loved Christmas, she had never made it to the one back in her original universe so she almost tried to make the best of any she landed in. She had slowly but surely been cheering up and he had so many more to take her to. Kazran was quite the old man when the spaceship the Ponds were landing on was destined to crash, so he had plenty of time to bring her back to her normal, cheery self.

"Doctor." She stated, "Can we stop a minute before we head to the next Christmas Eve?" He paused and turned around, confused.

"Of course." He told her, "But why?"

"Well, one, I really need a shower." She picked up a strand of her hair to demonstrate, "But mostly, I wanted to ask you something." She stepped closer, biting her thumbnail and his hearts started beating faster, that was never a good sign.

"Anything." He offered, "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to know if you've forgiven me for everything that happened on the Valiant." There, she'd said it. Her chest hurt from the anxiety of what his answer might be, but she felt like the burden of not knowing had been lifted. He smiled, relieved. That was all?

"Of course I have." He replied, meeting her as she headed up the stairs to the platform and pulling her in for a hug, "Is that what's been bothering you?" She shook her head.

"No, it's not." She explained, leaning in the embrace for the moment before pulling back, "It's _why._"

"Why?" He repeated and she nodded.

"Why have you forgiven me?" She asked him, "I haven't even forgiven myself. I don't think I ever can. Never mind the fact that I traded information with him, gave Kos- The Master details I probably shouldn't have. Or the fact that after everything, I gave in and asked to hear that noise again. I _slept_ with him. You should be angry, you should be chucking me out of the TARDIS into deep space. How can you just, not care?" He reached up and cupped her cheek, an action he knew would focus her on him instead of the thoughts obviously streaming around her head.

"I was." He explained gently, "But then I saw you when you were really, truly ill. The fact is that you will always blame yourself for your actions, but I don't think that's the case."

"You can't blame him." She protested, "He was sick too. Much more than I ever was."

"I'm not." He quickly interjected, "The thing is, that noise made you susceptible to suggestions and commands. It had it's side effects, one I have to say I have been extremely happy to be on the receiving end of." He smirked cheekily and she blushed, thinking about all the times she really couldn't help herself when she was around him, "I have seen you push Rory against the wall and kiss him, thinking he was me. It clouded your judgement, and I believe that it could have been anyone. One or two suggestions in the right way, and the person wouldn't have mattered to you anymore."

"But I knew what I was doing!" She exclaimed, "I don't want you to make excuses for me!"

"I'm not." He promised her, seeing her becoming increasingly upset and trying to calm her down, "I'm just saying that is why I have forgiven you, and that in the grand scheme of my life, that small part of it is nothing. I'm not willing to lose you to him. He can't have you. You, Danielle Fielding, are _mine._" And it was true. Especially after experiences the return of the Time Lords, and the way the Master had acted with her at Naismith's mansion, there was no way he was letting anyone get that close to her again. The whole universe would know, it was the Doctor and Danni until the end of time itself. There was no one else.

"But you can't have always felt like that." She whimpered, grasping at straws. He sounded so sure, it was starting to convince her that he really had forgiven her. But that can't be right, because back then he didn't know the extent the noise took over her. Or that it was even real. That wasn't until when he regenerated.

"That is also very true." He replied, before smiling apologetically, "You're going to have a hell of a time on the Titanic, I'm afraid. And a bit afterwards. Until we go back to see Martha." He shrugged slightly, "I say 'see', I mean I take you there to leave you there and Martha knocks some sense into me."

"Sounds like Martha." She admitted reluctantly and he laughed, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Go have a shower." He instructed, "Then onto the next Christmas." Danni smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her tongue darted out of her mouth, wetting her lips suggestively and the Doctor suddenly forgot everything they were about to do.

"Want to join me?" She asked and he nodded, swallowing and she let him go, sauntering off. He watched her go, eyes wide in surprise at the sudden u-turn before dashing after her, catching up in the hallway and pressing her against the wall, slamming his lips onto hers.

_~0~0~0~_

Kazran, now almost a teenager, was still very childlike as he pressed himself against the full-length window of the fish tank, staring at wonder at all the fish on the other side. Earth fish were so different to the ones on Ember. They were brightly coloured and so many different shapes and sizes. And they swan in water, which was simply marvellous. Then there was all the other sea life, like these things called Turtles that could live for up to 100 years, and had this shell that it could hide in that was stronger than human bone. This planet was amazing!

"Kazran." Abigail called over fondly and he turned, a huge smile on his face at the sound of her voice. She had appeared in the room with him, the Doctor and Danni had wandered off on their own, leaving the two to have a look around independently, "The talk on sharks is about to start." He rushed to her side and slipped his hand into hers like he'd seen the Doctor do with Danni. He had started to think that maybe he'd like Abigail to be _his_ Danni when he was a bit older. When he had some control over his father's company he could release her from the debt and they could be together. Maybe.

"Let's go!" He cheered and she couldn't help but be infected by his happiness. They slowly made their way through the crowd in the aquarium, heading towards the huge room where the sharks were held, "Did you know that there is a shark that lives in Greenland and can live for almost 200 years?"

"I did not." She replied, "Did you see the crab that's the same size as you?" He nodded.

"They're strange creatures." He told her as they joined the small gathering of people waiting for the talk, including Danni and the Doctor, who had taken up the corner of the room. It was lined around the edge with a bench, and whilst everyone else was looking at the sharks swimming overhead in the arched tank, they were huddled together, the Doctor stroking her face and Danni blushing happily. Abigail was so happy Danni seemed to feel better than the year before, hopefully she could move on from whatever they were going through.

"I could do this forever." Kazran was saying, craning his head backwards so he could see as much as possible. She stared down at him, unable to break his fantasy of the Christmas Eve adventures so she nodded.

"Me too." She replied, ruffling his hair. He batted her hand away.

_~0~0~0~_

_Sorry for the late chapter. As you may have seen on my tumblr (dannifielding - go follow :P I mean, I don't do much, but I answer your questions and stuff :P), is being a bit of an arse with me. So, it's not on time but it is here. I won't waste your time anymore with a long A/N. Live long and don't forget to be awesome!_


	17. The Inevitable

The Doctor had decided to take them to California in the 1950's. Something about meeting his old friend Frank Sinatra, which was news to Danni but she loved that she was still finding out so much about him despite how long she had been in his universe. She yawned, sitting down near the pool at Marilyn Monroe's party, pulling the little black dress down so it covered her thighs more. After all, it had been a couple of days since she'd been able to get any proper sleep. One thing about her life with the Doctor she wasn't sure was entirely healthy was her sleeping pattern. She had slowly come to gain the lack of need for a large amount of sleep. If given the chance, she could fall unconscious for days, but she also could go around 49 hours without having to have more than a quick catnap. It was heading closer and closer to that 49th hour, her legs were feeling wobbly and her eyes drooping.

"Are you all right?" She looked up to see Abigail smiling down at her, but without the brightness she had come to recognise in the woman's eyes. Danni knew why, her countdown was almost over. Danni shot her a smile of her own and patted the lounger she had taken perch on.

"Fine." She replied, "Just a bit tired. How are you?" Abigail sat down, a guilty look on her face.

"I'm trying to enjoy myself." She explained, "For Kazran's sake. But I find myself unable to." Danni nodded.

"I can understand that." She told her, "But he doesn't. You might want to tell him tonight." Abigail seemed surprised, "He deserves to know everything about you. He loves you dearly."

"But he will not let me out again." Abigail protested, "No more Christmas Eves, and he loves them so much." Danni sighed, running a hand through her hair as it turned into another yawn.

"The thing is, Abigail, you need to stay in the box for a while now."

"Why?" Abigail asked, confused.

"Do you remember asking me how I knew about your days?" Abigail nodded, "The thing is, I can sort of see the future. Well, it's more like I watched it really. And there is time, far into Kazran's future, where he will let thousands and thousands of people die just because he couldn't be bothered to care."

"No, that's not Kazran at all." Abigail exclaimed.

"Not _this_ Kazran, no." Danni conceded, "But the one I first met? Before the Doctor brought us back into his past to save him hated everyone and everything. It's all of us, but especially you, that have shaped him into this wonderful young man."

"But I don't understand." Abigail admitted, "Why does that involve me telling him about my last day?"

"He will horde it." Danni explained gently, "He will never be able to choose which day he wants to be your last. Until the day the spaceship is crashing, when he will realise you would want to save the passengers over yourself. He will let you out, you will sing and save them, and you will finally get a Christmas Day instead of a Christmas Eve."

"Why are you telling me this?" Abigail asked her, tears in her eyes and Danni shot her an apologetic smile.

"Because choice is something most of us have very little of." She replied, "I have very little choice in my life. I can't choose my home, or who I spend my time with. I can't even choose what time period I am in, or which Doctor I'm with. It's very complicated." She offered at Abigail's confused look, "The fact is you helped me realise something. I did a terrible thing. An awfully terrible thing. The Doctor, this Doctor has forgiven me. I now know there are Doctor's who won't have, and there are Doctor's who it hasn't even happened for yet. I _could _feel guilty always, and when I'm with the appropriate Doctor it will work and I can make us all miserable for the rest of the time. Or, when I'm with this Doctor I can be happy with him, and with the Doctor who is sad I can be sad too. You gave me that choice, and I want you to have the same. You can tell Kazran, he can horde your last day and you can save all those people. Or, you don't. Next Christmas Eve all of us will be there, you will seemingly die out of the blue and Kazran might save them on his own. But it should be _your_ choice."

"If I don't tell him, will all those people die?" Danni shrugged.

"I don't know." Danni told her honestly.

"If I do, how long will he wait?" Abigail asked, crying and Danni bit her lit.

"When I first met Kazran, he was an old man." She broke to her as gently as she could, "It will be decades before he'll let you out."

"What if I ask him to let me out next Christmas anyway?" Danni shrugged again.

"I don't know." She repeated, "But if I had to say, I don't think he would. I think he would still horde your day."

"So that is my choice?" Abigail sobbed, "Those two days?" Danni pulled her in for a hug.

"I am so sorry." She told Abigail sincerely, "I wish there was another way." Abigail pulled back, sniffing and smiling sadly.

"I know you do." Abigail told her and Danni stood up, pulling the skirt of her dress down.

"I'll go send Kazran." Danni explained gently, "You can tell him, or you can dance with him. I won't ask, and I won't know until it's happened. I just hope you choose what's best for _you_, not anyone else."

_~0~0~0~_

Abigail told Kazran about her last day, like Danni knew she would. Abigail was never going to let all the people aboard the spaceship die because of her own selfish wants, and however heartbreaking it was Danni was glad she told her.

Kazran told the Doctor to not come back, much like he did on the show. '_Well, Christmas is for kids, isn't it?_', he hadsaid to the Doctor, breaking his hearts ever so slightly. Danni had told him there was noting he could do, but she had one more stop to make. The Doctor had frowned in confusion and had taken her to the next Christmas Eve, keeping his promise to stay in the TARDIS and to not listen in on what was going to happen next.

Danni took her place at Kazran's desk in his bedroom, waiting patiently for the now young man to head for bed that evening. He had frozen, seemingly stunned for a moment before narrowing his eyes angrily at her and the situation.

"I thought I told you to not come back this year?" He had snapped and she shook her head.

"No, you told the Doctor that. But, I am only staying for a moment, so don't get your knickers in a twist?"

"Knickers?" He repeated, confused and she shook her head.

"Doesn't matter." She offered, "I just wanted you to know that I think you're doing the right thing."

"What do you mean?" He asked harshly, but she wasn't fazed.

"I know about Abigail's last day." She explained, "I always have, right from the beginning."

"You knew?" He asked, surprised, before turning furious, taking a large stride over to her and glaring down at the small woman, "And you didn't think to say? Not once? You let me fall in love with her just for her to be torn away from me?"

"Are you saying you wish you didn't have those memories with her?" She asked calmly in return, "Are they not worth the heartbreak?" He didn't reply, which meant 'yes, but I don't have to like it', "I know how you feel, Kazran."

"How can you possibly know how this feels?" He raged.

"Because I have the last day coming up too." She replied simply, "There is a day coming up in my future, the last day of someone I deeply care about. The end of days, as it were. But, unlike you Kazran, I don't have the choice of when."

"The Doctor is dying?" He asked, betraying his anger with the concern he suddenly felt and Danni shook her head.

"No, but someone very similar to him." She admitted and again he was confused. He had seen the Doctor with Danni, had mimicked them when with Abigail. If not the Doctor, then who?

"The point is, Kazran, is that if I was in your position, I would do exactly the same thing." She continued, "I pray each time I open my eyes I'm not there, on that day. I don't want it to be over, you see, even though it means I'll see him again. That's what you feel like, don't you?"

"How do I choose the perfect day?" He asked her, begging her for an answer because it had been a year now and he was still no closer to to an answer.

"You don't." Danni replied unhelpfully, "The fact is, Kazran, it could be decades before you find that perfect day. But it's your choice to open the door, understand? Because Abigail chose too, and her choice was your day." Danni stood up, "I trust you, Kazran, and so did she. Merry Christmas." And, despite trying his hardest not to be, Kazran was slightly amused as she hopped out of his bedroom window and into the night.

_~0~0~0~_

Kazran only ever called on them once, using the half of the sonic screwdriver the Doctor had left him for such an occasion. However, one look at the couple, happy and always together had him closing the curtains on them and that life for good.

The next step was to show him the people that he was allowing to die. All the people on the ship, singing to try and change the cloud belt as Amy begged him to let the ship she and her husband was on land safely. He actually could feel them getting through to him, which frustrated him further. What gave the Doctor and his girlfriend the right to play with his life like they had? Make him feel so much pain, a constant ache in his heart, while all along they were only trying to save the people above him? It had nothing to do with him at all.

As he always did in times of stress and anguish, he headed to Abigail, who was frozen in all her youthful spender, waiting for him to let her live that last day. The woman in the hologram, wearing an indecent police uniform prodded and pried until he snapped, telling her exactly what the Doctor had done, how he teased and taunted with Abigail, only for her to die on him just as he felt the most love for her. Now he was bitter and alone, and if the Doctor wanted these people to survive there was no way he was ever going to let that happen.

"Doctor!" He shouted, looking around the spaceship he had been projected into, only to find himself back in the storeroom, the Doctor stood in front of him, holding Danni tightly to his side. Protectively, if had to put a description on it. As if he was scared Kazran would do something to her. Good. The Doctor had cast a sentence on Abigail, let him fear the same for the woman _he_ loved.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor offered quietly, "I didn't realise." He gave Danni a tight squeeze, telling her off silently for not letting him in on the secret. She just leant on his arm and Kazran's anger flared again at their closeness. They were allowed, why wasn't he?!

"All my life, I've been called heartless. My other life, my real life, the one you rewrote." He snarled, "Now look at me."

"Better a broken heart than no heart at all." The Doctor responded.

"Says the man who frolics through Christmas's with the woman he loves." Kazran snapped in response, "Before you offer advice, I suggest you try it. Why are you here?"

"Cos we're not finished with you yet." He let go of Danni, still uncertain as he his stepped towards Kazran, "You've seen the past, the present...and now you need to see the future." Kazran rolled his eyes, tired of the man toying with him.

"Fine! Do it! Show me! I'll die cold, alone and afraid. Of course I will, we all do! What difference does showing me make? Do you know why I'm going to let those people die? It's not a plan. I don't get anything from it. It's just that I don't care. I'm not like you. I don't even want to be like you!" He had, for such a large part of his adolescence, wanted to grow up to be just like the Doctor. Now he still couldn't think of anything more abhorrent than being like the man in front of him. He stormed up, not as tall as he used to be, but he could still almost get up to the Doctor's face, snarling in his face, "I don't and never, ever will care!"

"And I don't believe that." The Doctor replied, unfazed.

"Then show me the future. Prove me wrong." Kazran taunted.

"I am showing it to you. I'm showing it to you right now. So what do you think?" The Doctor called over his shoulder. Kazran slowly turned to see his younger self, back from the first night he met the Doctor, stood there still in his pyjamas. He looked terrified, horrified at the man he was being shown. Danni sighed sadly, rubbing her arm. She had hoped it wouldn't come to this, it was why she had gone to see him in the first place. Maybe he could have been shown the error of his ways without having to show a child _this _was the man he would become.

"Is this who you want to become, Kazran?" The Doctor asked the young boy. The two versions of the same person slowly walked towards each other, younger Kazran scared and older Kazran amazed.

"Dad?" Young Kazran whispered and in anger, older Kazran chucked his cane aside, striding up to the boy and raising his hand to strike him. Then, after flashing memory after memory of his father, he lowered his hand. This wasn't what he wanted to become. Not ever. What would Abigail think?

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He sobbed, tears streaming down his face. He reached out, looking for comfort from his younger self as much as offering it but the boy stepped away, afraid, "It's OK, don't be frightened." The boy allowed him to pull him in for a hug, "I'm...I'm so, so, so..."

"Kazran." Danni called over and the old man turned to look at her, the joy he remembered feeling when seeing the couple slowly returning, even as she smiled apologetically, "We don't have much time."

_~0~0~0~_

The controls hadn't worked, but then again Danni had warned the Doctor about that. They only had one hope now, and that was how they found themselves at Abigail's icebox, the Older Kazran staring at his beloved through the small porthole at the top, as he had done for so many years.

"Her voice resonates perfectly with the ice crystals. It calmed the shark. It will calm the sky, too." The Doctor explained softly and Danni nudged him to keep tell him to keep quiet.

"Could you do it?" Kazran replied quietly, "Could you do this? Think about it, Doctor. One last day with your beloved. With your Danni, one more day. Which day would you choose?" He turned, looking over his shoulder at Danni, "You told me I would get to choose the day. With this man you love, you couldn't bear to think of the day you'd see him for the last time. Why tell me I could choose?" The Doctor looked down at her, stunned and slightly hurt. There was only one other person Kazran could be talking about, only one other person she had a last day with. And she didn't correct him, she just shook her head.

"I didn't." She corrected gently, "That was Abigail's choice. There was only ever two possible outcomes, that next Christmas Eve, or today. She chose today. It's your choice whether to open the door for her."

"She knew?" He asked, surprised and she nodded.

"I wanted you both to know how you have affected each other so completely." She explained, "Abigail had the choice to be with you for one last day, and it broke her to save these people over that time. But that was the person she was, and the person she knew you could be. The Kazran she knew wouldn't have let those people die." He turned back, staring at her face. He reached up stroking the glass lightly.

"This was her choice?" He whispered, his heart aching anew at how beautiful she was, inside and out, "Would you be able to do this, Doctor? If this was your Danni's choice, would you let her out?"

"No." The Doctor admitted reluctantly, and Danni looked up in surprise at his answer. He wasn't looking at her, in fact his head was bowed and he was looking terribly guilty, "I would never give her up for anything, not even her own choice. But I am ancient, and more selfish than anyone in the universe. You are better than me, Kazran." Kazran nodded to himself. He was, wasn't he? He unlocked the door and Abigail stepped out, alive and vibrant.

"It's Christmas day, isn't it?" She asked him and he nodded, eyes shining. She reached up, stroking his elderly cheek with a bright smile, "So old now. I think Danni was right, you waited a bit too long, didn't you?" He nodded.

"I'm sorry." He sobbed, broken but she shook her head, telling him not to be sad.

"Hoarding my days, like an old miser." She continued.

"But...if you leave the ice now..." He started and she placed a finger against his lips.

"We've had so many Christmas Eves, Kazran. I think it's time for Christmas Day."

_~0~0~0~_

Danni sat with her legs dangling outside the TARDIS doors, into the space beyond. It had been quite a while since she'd been able to do this and she felt calm and collected as the vastness of the universe outside brought her some inner peace. It had been a terrible affair, but beautiful in it's own right. The Ponds were safe and sound, although strangely dressed as they had headed to their bedroom. Abigail and Kazran got their last day together, and she knew deep in her heart there wasn't a more perfect day for them than that. Because, it was always going to be devastating, but they were together and that made it perfect. She was quite the romantic at heart.

The Doctor settled down next to her, long legs dangling out as he clasps his hands in his lap. Neither of them said a word, both content to sit silently together.

"I think," He started, breaking the silence, "I'm going to drop the Ponds off home." She looked up at him, surprised.

"Really?" She asked and he nodded.

"For the summer. They deserve some 'married couple' time together."

"Ah." She nodded, "And we'll jump to the other side of the summer?" He shook his head.

"No. Well, not straight away anyway." He looked down at his hands and Danni watched, suddenly very concerned. What was he wanting to do first?

"Are you taking me to Jack's?" She asked, and his head shot up, eyes wide, just as alarmed.

"What? No, no of course not. Well," He ran his hand through his hair, "Not unless you want to go. We can, if you like?" She shook her head.

"I don't understand." She declared, "Why aren't we going to pick the Ponds up straight away if you're not just dropping me off first?" He reached over, cupping her face with his hand, trailing his fingers lightly down her cheek.

"Because of Abigail." He replied, "I wasn't lying, I am going to keep you to myself. And," He shook his head. He hated thinking about it, because he knew that he couldn't stop it, and it tore at his hearts, "And you're days are going to end long before mine. And I can't bear it."

"It scares you, doesn't it?" She asked in realisation, "Having to live through my last day?"

"There is nothing worse in my life than the fact I'm going to lose you." He admitted, "And it is going to be my fault." She shook her head.

"Oh, Theta. Of course it won't be." She hugged him tightly and he held her as close as he could in their current position, revelling in the fact that she was alive and in his arms for another moment, "I'm going to grow old with you. I promise." He shook his head, burying his nose in her hair. Even if she did. Even, if my some cosmic miracle, she lived to a ripe old human age, he still couldn't save her from the inevitable. He would fail, and she would die.

"I guess I just need to keep you to myself for a while. I'm not ready to share you with anyone else just yet." He told her and she nodded, pulling back and the bright smile on her face reassured him slightly.

"Let's drop the Ponds off, then, shall we?" He nodded, grateful, before taking her face in his hands again and placing his lips against hers, coaxing her gently but desperately to move with him, pouring everything he could into the gentle caresses.

Sensing that there was more to this than her mortality, Danni broke the kiss to stand up and hold her hand out to him. She then lead him into the TARDIS, determined to show him that above all else, she loved _him_.

_~0~0~0~_

_My Lord, I've been in a depressing mood in my writing lately, haven't I? I don't know where it's coming from, because I'm quite happy in real life at the moment XD_

_So, where should I send Danni and Eleven next? I don't know whether to do an original chapter or the Eleventh Hour. Such choices XD_

_Lots of lovely words from you lovely people. We shall see where/when Danni gets her ring in about 3 episodes/adventures. We've got the next Eleven one, then a Nine one, then the ring one :P I think, anyway. Dunno if I should do a Ten one first. Hmm, this part is turning out much longer than I was expecting already :)_

_I shall see you Friday, my lovelies. Any questions, Tumblr me in the meantime :)_


	18. The Answered Prayer

Danni stumbled in the snow as she landed next to a dumpster, completely disortientated as usual. She'd jumped around so often, yet suddenly being somewhere new and not voluntary took a few moments to get used to. She dove behind the dumpster as she saw a young Rose Tyler talking to someone in a doorway, knowing that this was when Ten regenerated and he really needed to say goodbye. The blonde lass laughed then ran into the tower block and the Doctor appeared, pushing himself along the wall as he struggled the hold himself up. He stumbled towards the TARDIS, just wanting to make it to his blue box when he cried out in pain and fell to the ground. She ran forward, pausing slightly at the sight of Ood-Sigma, who appeared out of no-where.

"We will sing to you, Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep." The Ood told him and the Doctor stood slowly as the singing entered both their minds. Danni rushed over and held him on one side as he struggled to continue.

"I've got you." She told him gently, using all her strength to hold him up. He looked down at her as they walked and smiled, unable to speak and she kissed his side, the only bit she could reach.

"This song is ending. But the story never ends." Ood-Sigma told him, "And you never are truly alone." She reached into her pocket and unlocked the TARDIS, helping him inside. He leant against the door panting in exhaustion after it was closed behind them and Danni let him go, knowing he needed to make this part of the journey alone. He pulled himself up to the console using the handrail and chucked his jacket onto one of the 'Y' beams. He held his right hand up, seeing the first signs of the regeneration before walking around the console and setting it into motion. He circled the console until he reached her, staring at her with a look of despair on his face. She began crying at the sight of him looking so lost, so sad.

"I don't want to go." He told her, almost begging her to help him.

"I know." She whispered in reply and the regeneration began, him throwing out his arms as the energy exploded from him, destroying the TARDIS around them. She screamed slightly, dodging out of the way of falling beams, sparks and flames and running towards the console, using it as a shield until he stopped, Eleven now stood there. She peaked over the edge as he stared in slight shock.

"Legs. I've still got legs, good." He kissed his knee, balancing on one leg, "Arms. Hands. Ooh, fingers, lots of fingers. Ears, yes. Eyes, two. Nose, I've had worse. Chin, blimey. Hair..." He ran his hands through his hair, gasping as it was longer than he was expecting, "I'm a girl! No! No... I'm not a girl." He pulled a lock in front of his eyes, "And still not ginger!" Danni couldn't help but laugh at his whining tone and he spun to look at her, "And still have a Danni!"

"And you always will!" She called happily, moving over and hugging him tightly. He returned it just as tightly then let her go and looked around the room, "And something else, something important, I'm, I'm... I'm..." They both jumped as something exploded, "Ha! Crashing!" He laughed and whooped in excitement, grabbing her hand and pulling her around to the monitor. She looked up, laughing with him.

"Geronimo!" They shouted together.

_~0~0~0~_

The console sparked and exploded, expanding into the flames filling the console room. Smoke filled the air, filtering out of the open doors and into London. The Doctor was dangling out of the doorway, holding on with both hands to the frame as Danni hung next to him.

"If you had just been paying attention to the TARDIS instead of your non-ginger hair we wouldn't be here!" Danni screamed over the roar of the wind as they flew over the Millenium Dome. The Doctor just winked at her, a cheeky smirk wrapping around the sonic screwdriver in his mouth. She grinned back, loving every moment of their current predicament, before he began trying to pull himself into the ship, groaning in pain as he did. Danni tried the same, but froze as the loud chiming of Big Ben filled the air.

"Doctor! The clock!" She cried. He turned around and saw the clock face swiftly approaching. He pulled the screwdriver out of his mouth, pointing at the console and the TARDIS flew upwards narrowly missing the tower but throwing them back out again. When the TARDIS had levelled off, the Doctor pulled himself in before helping Danni up. The pair slammed the doors shut and leant against them as they sat on the floor, panting.

"Well, that's never happened before." The Doctor told her and she leant on his shoulder about the reply but as the TARDIS lurched to one side and the pair was sent flying it turned into a scream. The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the console as they fought against the pull of the spinning time machine, transferring her grip to the railings.

"Stay there." He commanded as he tried to gain control.

"As opposed to going where?" She cried in return. He shot her a cheeky grin but didn't answer. She rolled her eyes and flinched away at a particularly vicious spark.

"Come on!" The Doctor snarled at the console before slamming his fist on the top.

"Oh she won't like that." Danni groaned and the TARDIS was suddenly turned sideways with a thud. The pair screamed comically as they fell deep into the depths of the TARDIS, through corridor after corridor until they splashed in harmony into the swimming pool. Danni emerged first, gasping for air.

"Jesus, it's freezing!" She exclaimed as the Doctor joined her.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"Judging by the books, I'd say the library."

"I had wondered where the swimming pool had gotten to." He swam to the edge and pulled himself out, shaking himself like a dog as Danni joined him.

"Doctor, the door's on the ceiling." They both looked upwards and saw the hallway.

"Hmm, gravity field appears to be out of sync." He turned to her, blinking as he took in her soaking form. Her clothes clung to her tightly, showing off her usually hidden curves. She frowned as he paused.

"Doctor?" She prompted and he shook himself out of his thoughts.

"Sorry. I was distracted by your..." He cried out as he spasmed from the regeneration and she caught him as he fell forward.

"Are you okay?" She asked as the spasm passed and he nodded.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. And I know how to get out of here."

_~0~0~0~_

Danni groaned as she pulled herself up the impossibly long rope, climbing ever closer to the top of the TARDIS. Or, the TARDIS doors in any case. The Doctor had found a grappling hook. A bloody grappling hook. _That_ was his great idea!

"Why did I have to go first?" She moaned, "I'm just going to slow you down."

"Yes, then I can catch you when you fall." She frowned and looked down.

"You're actually expecting... Are you looking at my arse?" She exclaimed.

"No." he replied quickly, looking everywhere but at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, turning back to the task at hand.

"Bloody cheeky Time Lord." She muttered, smiling to herself at the lie. She finally reached the exit, only making her goal due to the gravity malfunction she guessed, because there was no way she'd made it there through her own strength. She grasped at the frame, pulling herself up and grinning as she saw a ginger girl in a red jacket and matching red wellies over what appeared to be a nightgown, a torch in hand. Amelia Pond, the Girl Who Waited. She had been looking forward to this episode for more than three years. Amy had told her about the night she had waited for them to return and this was a moment she had been secretly been hoping for each time the manipulator activated. She straddled the frame and waved.

"Hello sweetheart, sorry we woke you." The Doctor's head popped up over the edge, frowning as he took in the little girl before grinning.

"Can I have an apple? All I can think about - apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving. That's new - never had cravings before." He pulled himself up next to Danni, looking down into the TARDIS, "Whoa! Look at that!"

"Are you OK?" The girl asked in a Scottish accent, looking at them both confused. The pair swung their legs over so they're sitting facing her, the Doctor immediately wrapping his arm around Danni's waist, holding her against him.

"Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up." The Doctor explained.

"You're soaking wet." Amelia pointed out.

"We were in the swimming pool." He replied as if it was obvious.

"You said you were in the library." She pointed out.

"So was the swimming pool." Danni grumbled, rubbing a hand through her hair trying to manually dry it.

"You can see the future, I'm surprised you didn't see that coming." The Doctor told her with a cheeky grin. She glared at him.

"I did." She retorted, "I just didn't expect _me_ to go for the plunge as well." He smiled, reaching up and cupping her face.

"Well, I for one I'm very glad you did." He told her lowly, "Yowzah." She blushed, nodding pointedly towards the little girl staring at the pair with large blinking eyes.

"You can see the future?" Amelia asked excitedly, deciding to ignore the strange man and talk to the strange woman instead. She seemed slightly more normal, after all who would be happy to drop into a pool unexpectedly?

"I jump around everywhere, it's not so much seeing the future as living it." Danni explained simply, there was more time for the mechanics later on, "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night on your own?"

"Are you two policemen?" She asked warily, still not quite believing two people had just dropped into her garden in the middle of the night in a blue box.

"Why? Did you call for policemen?" The Doctor asked, suddenly concerned. Children in trouble always concerned him.

"Did you come about the crack in my wall?" She asked hopefully,

"What cra...?" He started, but interrupted himself with a cry of pain as he spasmed to the floor.

"Are you all right, mister?" Amelia asked worriedly. He pushed himself up onto his knees.

"No, I'm fine, it's OK. This is all perfectly norm..." He trailed off, chocking slightly as regeneration energy flew out of his mouth, swirling in the air. Danni jumped down next to him and smiled at the girl reassuringly.

"Believe it or not, this is normal for him." She explained.

"Who are you? Are you married?" She asked. Danni blinked, surprised while the Doctor smirked.

"Not yet." He replied with a wink. Danni blushed deeply, going the colour of her hair.

"Then who are you?" The two humans watched in amazement as gold dust swirled around his hands.

"I don't know yet. I'm still cooking." The Doctor replied, watching his own regeneration energy, "Does it scare you?"

"No, it just looks a bit weird." The girl replied, sounding slightly insulted.

"No, no, no. The crack in your wall." He clarified, "Does it scare you?"

"Yes." She admitted. The Doctor smiled widely, the sense of adventure overriding the regeneration pains. He pushed himself up without using his hands until he was standing looking down at the red-headed Scottish girl.

"Well, then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor, this is my Danni-Girl. Don't call her that, do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions and don't wander off." Danni rolled her eyes as he spun around and strode purposefully the opposite way to the two girls.

"Wait for it..." Danni whispered and the pair watched as he walked into a tree, bouncing off it and falling onto his back on the floor. Danni laughed, nudging the ginger who smiled slightly before walking over and shined the torch onto him.

"You all right?" He looked up at her.

"Early days. Steering's a bit off."

_~0~0~0~_

They followed the Scottish girl into her kitchen, the Doctor looking around the room confused while she fetched him the apple he'd requested earlier. Danni couldn't imagine what it was like to suddenly change like that. She was used to suddenly changing places, but not people. Not only did Amelia have to get used to the new Doctor in her life, so did he. It was fascinating watching him be curious about absolutely everything, including himself. And she was right there with him this time, they could learn together. Although, she knew quite a bit about him really. Still, the thought was there.

"If you're a doctor, why does your box say 'Police'?" She held out an apple which he snatched off her rudely. He took a bite out of it before unceremoniously spitting it out onto the floor.

"That's disgusting. What is that?" He replied instead. Danni took the apple off him and bent down to pick up the bits he had spat onto the ground. _Or_ she could be his mother. Whatever worked.

"An apple." The girl replied, slightly disgusted and slightly bewildered by the pair of peculiar adults she had brought into her kitchen.

"Apples are rubbish. I hate apples." He declared.

"You said you loved them." Amelia pointed out.

"No, no," the Doctor dismissed. He looked around the room until inspiration struck and he smiled widely, "I love yoghurt. Yoghurt's my favourite. Give me yoghurt." Amelia did as she was told, rushing over to her fridge and fetching him a strawberry yoghurt. He ripped the lid off and poured the entire pot into his mouth then proceeded to spit it out all over the table.

"I hate yoghurt, it's just stuff with bits in." He told her, handing back the container.

"You said it was your favourite." Amelia exclaimed in exasperation

"New mouth, new rules." He wiped the remaining yoghurt on his face away with the back of his hand, "It's like eating after cleaning your teeth, everything tastes wro-agh!" He groaned and his body flew into a new fit, culminating in him slapping his hand on his forehead.

"What is it? What's wrong with you?" Amelia asked.

"Wrong with me? It's not my fault. Why can't you give me decent food? You're Scottish - fry something." He demanded. The girl looked at him incredulously before setting to her task. Danni nudged him hard.

"You're being rude. Again." She scolded him, "And slightly racist." The Doctor put his hands on her hips, pulling her up against him with a smirk.

"Still rude?" he asked, pleased.

"Yes." She replied with a grin and he leant down, brushing his lips against hers quickly. The moment he'd regenerated he knew that this was it, this was the Doctor who could finally be with Danni. All that time he'd spent as his previous self, with her just in reach but never quite getting there suddenly seemed like time wasted and he was going to make up for it. He felt her smile against his lips and tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away and he groaned in disappointment. She turned to Amelia, who was trying to work out what to make the couple.

"Where's your bathroom sweetie?" Danni asked her, "I just want to fetch some towels."

"Upstairs." Danni nodded and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. He smiled widely at her back as she quickly ran upstairs, throwing open all the doors on the first floor except one, the one she knew she wasn't supposed to be able to see. She frowned at it but left it alone. That door was the reason the Doctor came back, so pulled her tongue out at it then grabbed two towels out of the bathroom. She made her way back downstairs at a slower pace, drying her own hair as she did. She re-entered the room to see Amelia frying some bacon on the stove and chucked the other towel at the Doctor, sitting at the table as they both attempted to get dry. The Doctor watched Amelia fry the bacon as he rubbed his hair.

"Ah! Bacon!" He exclaimed, as if it was the answer to all his troubles and he sat next to Danni, nudging her playfully, "You should have known that." She rolled her eyes.

"I know about the bacon." She replied. He picked up his fork and banged it impatiently on the table. The scottish girl placed the plate of bacon in front of him and he tucked into it. The girl laughed at him until he pulled a face and spat the food out again.

"Bacon. That's bacon?" He studied her closely, "Are you trying to poison me?" He asked seriously.

"No, she isn't. You're just being a prat." Danni muttered as she cleaned up after him, finding some kitchen towel and cleaning up the yoghurt from before, "I can see how this is going to go." She grumbled, "She has to cook for you, I have to clean up after you and you get to sit there and eat."

"Did you want some?" He asked, genuinely confused. She hadn't been the one to regenerate and he needed to build up his strength. Amelia moved back to the stove to heat up some baked beans and Danni shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"No, sweetie. It's fine, honest." She kissed him on the cheek again and he pulled her back for a quick peck on the lips. Danni smiled and placed another brief kiss on his lips. She was liking this, an innocent Eleven, taking kisses whenever he could get them with a faint pinkness to his cheeks. Oh, she was going to love corrupting him. Amelia placed a bowl of beans in front of the Doctor, who smiled.

"Ah, you see, beans." He told Danni as he grabbed his fork and shovelled a load into his mouth. He munched on them for a moment before spitting them into the sink behind them. Both Danni and Amelia pulled disgusted faces at him.

"Beans are evil. Bad, bad beans." He told them. Danni washed the beans down the sink.

"Maybe go with something simple this time." She advised the girl, who nodded and grabbed some bread and butter.

"Bread and butter. Now you're talking." The Doctor stated. Amelia shot him a dubious look as she pushed the plate across to him. The bread barely touched the tip of his tongue when he shot up and marched to the door, flinging the plate out into the night.

"And stay out!" He shouted after it angrily, slamming the door behind him as he made his way to the kitchen. Amelia was looking through her fridge, having exhausted every other idea they could think of.

"We've got some carrots?" Amelia asked, not entirely convinced on the idea herself. The Doctor stopped his impatient pacing to look at her incredulously.

"Carrots? Are you insane?" Now bored, and more than disgusted with cleaning up after him, Danni reached into the fridge, then the freezer.

"This is what you want." She held up a carton of custard and a packet of fish fingers, "Fish Fingers and Custard." The Doctor walked up to her, snatching the two items out of her hands.

"Oh brilliant!" He kissed the side of her head, "You always know what I need." She grinned.

"I just know what you're going to do next." She retorted.

"How?" Amelia asked. The Doctor looked over his shoulder as he turned the oven on.

"She's from the future. My Danni-Girl, she jumps through time and saves me every time." He winked at Danni.

"Really?" Amelia asked the woman, who shrugged.

"I suppose so, yeah. I don't have much of a choice though, the man's a walking disaster zone sometimes."

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor and Danni sat across from Amelia, each with a fish finger in hand. They alternately dipped them into the glass bowl of custard, munching on their treat as the young girl ate vanilla ice cream straight from the tub with a large ice cream scoop. When Danni popped the last bite of her fish finger into her mouth the Doctor picked up the bowl and drank the last of the custard. Danni giggled slightly at the moustache it left behind, and Amelia would have as well had her mouth not been full. The Doctor wiped it away with the back of his hand and smiled at the little girl.

"Funny." She conceded. He shot her a concerned look.

"Am I?" He looked at Danni, who nodded encouragingly.

"And incredibly handsome." She added and he leant towards her, about to flirt, she gathered by the look on his face, "The child, sweetie." He blushed, shifting back into his seat and he picked up another fish finger.

"Good. Funny's good." He declared with a cough, "What's your name?" He asked before taking a bite of another fish finger.

"Amelia Pond." The girl told him and he nodded.

"Ah, that's a brilliant name. Amelia Pond," He said her name slowly, as if getting a feel with in with his tongue, "like a name in a fairy tale. Are we in Scotland, Amelia?" She sighed as if the thought annoyed her.

"No. We had to move to England. It's rubbish." This seemed to throw the Doctor, while Danni felt significantly offended. Yes, England had rubbish weather and small houses, but it was still her homeland and she held it close in her heart.

"So what about your mum and dad, then? Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now." He looked up, confused. Amelia, on the other hand, looked down at her ice cream sadly.

"I don't have a mum and dad. Just an aunt." Danni smiled sympathetically.

"We don't even have an aunt." She told her. Amelia looked up at her, jealous.

"You're lucky."

"I know." The Doctor grinned, "So, your aunt. Where is she?" He dipped another fish finger in the custard and sucked it off.

"She's out." His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"And she left you all alone?" He exclaimed.

"I'm not scared." She told him proudly.

"'Course you're not. You're not scared of anything! Box falls out of the sky, man and woman fall out of box, man and woman both eat fish custard, and look at you, just sitting there. So you know what I think?"

"What?"

"Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall." Danni replied, "And I for one am sick of custard. Come along, Pond. Show us this crack." She stood up, bouncing on the spot. The Doctor jumped up, taking her hand excitedly and they followed Amelia up the stairs to her bedroom, where the crack was almost displayed on the wall. It was a thin line, almost a crooked smirk with a yellow glow just escaping through the thin gap. The Doctor walked up to it, running his finger along the length of the line.

"You've had some cowboys in here. Not actual cowboys," He turned to look at the pair, "though that can happen." Amelia was looking down at the apple in her hand and Danni nudged her encouragingly towards the Doctor.

"I used to hate apples, so my mum put faces on them." She walked over to the Doctor and handed him the red apple now with a smiley face carved into it. He smiled at her kindly.

"She sounds good, your mum. I'll keep it for later." He tossed it once then put it in his pocket before returning to the crack, "This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing - where's the draught coming from?" He buzzed the sonic screwdriver along it, the still blue light illuminating the wall, "Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey." He pushed the tip back down, "You know what the crack is?" He asked Amelia.

"What?"

"It's a crack." Danni rolled her eyes, "I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put, 'cos the crack isn't in the wall."

"Where is it, then?" Danni walked over and placed a hand on the little girls shoulder.

"Everywhere." She explained gently, "It's in the skin of the universe, so there's more all over the place. This one in your wall isn't unique."

"Really?" The Doctor asked her, surprised and Danni nodded.

"We see it quite a few times over the years." She confirmed, "It's still really scary, though."

"How is there a crack in the universe?" Amelia asked her, "What could crack it?"

"It's two parts of space and time that should never have touched, pressed together...right here in the wall of your bedroom." The Doctor told her before leaning in close, pressing his ear against it, "Sometimes, can you hear…"

"A voice? Yes." Amelia finished. An airy, eerie voice echoed throughout the room, originating from the crack. The Doctor pushed away from the wall and quickly scanned the room, walking up to glass of water on Amelia's night stand and chucking the water in it onto the floor.

"Doctor!" Danni scolded but he ignored her. He pressed the glass against the wall and used it to listen through the crack.

"Prisoner Zero?" he muttered.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." Amelia declared, "That's what I heard. What does it mean?" The Doctor moved quickly away from the wall, still examining it with a thoughtful frown.

"It means that, on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner. Do you know what that means?" He asked her and she shook her head.

"What?"

"You need a better wall." Amelia frowned as the Doctor moved the desk against the wall out of the way, "The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut. Or..." He stepped nearer the wall as he trailed off.

"What?"

"You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?" Danni asked her.

"Yes." Amelia replied as if she knew that all too well.

"Everything's going to be fine." The Doctor replied Danni held her hand out and Amelia grasped it then the Doctor followed suit, each holding one of the little girl's hands. The Doctor then used the sonic screwdriver on the crack at it began glowing as it widened, revealing a dark corridor lined with cells.

"Prisoner Zero has escaped." A voice proclaimed. The Doctor stepped closer to the crack, keeping hold of his future companion's hand and peered in.

"Hello? Hello?" He called. A giant blue eye appeared in the crack, scanning the room. Amelia's grip on Danni's hand tightened and she squeezed back reassuringly.

"What's that?" Amelia asked the pair. A blue spark flew out from the crack, hitting the Doctor on the side and he fell to the bed, dragging the other two across the room with him. The eye continued to scan until the very last moment and the crack finally closed.

"There. You see, told you it would close. Good as new." The Doctor told them.

"What was that thing? Was that Prisoner Zero?" Amelia asked, obviously scared as she didn't look away from the crack. Danni knelt down next to her and slowly turned her away.

"Hey, hey, it's all right." She told her gently, "Whatever it is the Doctor will work it out and you won't need to be afraid anymore. The Doctor is what the monsters and the ghosts are scared of. You're in good hands, Amelia Pond." She looked over at the Doctor, "That's not Prisoner Zero, is it?"

"No. I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard." The Doctor agreed, "Whatever it was, it sent me a message." He pulled out the psychic paper from his pocket, "Psychic paper, takes a lovely little message." It glowed bright blue as he read the message out loud, "'_Prisoner Zero has escaped._' But why tell us? Unless..." He slowly stood from the bed, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary.

"Unless what?" Amelia prompted. Danni stood up and took Amelia's hand again.

"Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here." She told her, "But I promise it'll be okay."

"But he couldn't have." The Doctor stated slowly, "We'd know." He ran out of the room and the two girls followed him, hand in hand. They came to an abrupt stop outside the bedroom and the Doctor continued to look around, trying to pinpoint what was wrong, "It's difficult. Brand-new me, nothing works yet." He explained, "But there's something I'm missing... in the corner...of my eye." Just as he began to focus on the door in the corner of the hallway, a loud deep bell rang. His eyes went wide in shock and he took off down the stairs.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"

"I should warn you now, there is so much running." Danni told Amelia and, hand in hand, they followed him down the stairs and into the back garden.

"Why are you warning me?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Because everyone always complains that the running was never brought up at the start. This is the start, there's a lot of running Amelia." The Doctor had stopped outside the front door, hopping from one foot to the other impatiently until the two girl's appeared. He grabbed Danni's hand, tearing her from Amelia's grip as he dragged her towards the TARDIS.

"We've got to get back in there!" He explained urgently, "The engines are phasing, it's going to burn!"

"But... it's just a box! How can a box have engines?" Amelia protested, trailing after them as they reached blue box on it's side. The Doctor dropped to his knees and began freeing the grappling hook.

"It's not a box. It's a time machine." Danni told her simply.

"What, a real one? You've got a real time machine?" She asked in disbelief.

"Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilised. Five-minute hop into the future should do it." He tied the rope to each door handle.

"Can I come?" Amelia asked, smiling.

"Not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes. Give us five minutes, we'll be right back." He hopped onto the edge and dangled his legs into the doorway, facing away from the pair.

"People always say that." Amelia muttered sadly. The Doctor jumped back down and leant so they were face to face.

"Am I people? Do I even look like people? Trust me, I'm the Doctor." She smiled happily and he bopped her on the nose, "Plus, Danni-Girl here let me not come back if I say I will." And with that he jumped back on, grabbed the rope and plunged into the TARDIS. Danni watched him as he cried, 'Geronimo!' then turned to Amelia.

"I just want you to know, Amelia, that his time-keeping is atrocious, so you may be waiting a little longer than five minutes. But I promise we'll be back." She explained softly.

"Promise?" Amelia prompted and she nodded, ruffling her hair.

"Promise." Danni repeated.

"Hurry up Danni-Girl!" the Doctor called impatiently from deep inside the TARDIS and Danni sighed, shaking her head.

"And still so rude!" She muttered, "That also never changes. See ya soon, Amelia Pond." She kissed her on the top of the head then scrambled up the side of the box, took a deep breath and jumped into the pool, landing next to the Doctor with a splash. He used the rope to pull the doors shut then pointed his screwdriver skywards, activating the TARDIS. He then pulled her in for a very passionate and, in his opinion, very overdue kiss as they flew away.

_~0~0~0~_

_So, a lot of you asked for The Eleventh Hour. So, here you go :P_

_Oh, a lovely Anon on Tumblr submitted an Outtake idea that I'm currently working on (can't promise when it'll be up cause it's a bit of a toughie), but if you have anyhting you'd like to see, you can send me an Ask and I'll take a look. Or, if you wanna do it yourself, you can. Just let me know so I don't also do it :P_


	19. The 12 Year Wait

The TARDIS had barely materialized back in Amelia's back garden when both Danni and the Doctor emerged, both with cloths over their mouths to try and protect their lungs from the smoke billowing from the console. The fires around the room had quickly dried them, but unlike the Doctor, Danni was still choking on the smoke around them.

"Amelia!" He called before running towards the house, "Amelia! I worked out what it was. I know what I was missing! You've got to get out of there!" He used the sonic screwdriver on the door, and after a few failed attempts the door opened.

"Amelia?" Danni called as she followed him upstairs at a slower pace. She knew exactly where the little girl was. And that she wasn't so little anymore, so she hung back.

"Amelia, are you all right? Are you there?" The Doctor asked, growing more concerned about the little girl's whereabouts. He headed straight to the door at the top of the stairs, the one he had just begun to notice before and tried to open in with the screwdriver, "Prisoner Zero is here. Prisoner Zero is here! Prisoner Zero is here! Do you understand me? Prisoner Zero is..." He turned as the floorboard creaked behind them and was hit by a ginger policewoman wielding a cricket bat. He hit the floor, but Danni moved out of the way.

"Good god Amelia, that was so unnecessary." Danni cried as she knelt down beside him, making sure he was just unconscious and not dead. The woman pointed the bat at her.

"How do you know who I am?" She demanded.

"Because, unlike him, I'm not an idiot, and because I promised we'd be back and we were." She stood up and brushed her hands against each other, "Now, do you want me handcuffed as well?" Amelia shook her head, still wielding the bat menasingly.

"You said five minutes." She pointed out angrily. Danni shook her head.

"Actually, _he_," She pointed at the Doctor, "said five minutes. I said we'd be late. This is late."

"This is twelve years!" Amelia exclaimed, "Twelve years is not 'late'." She raised the bat, ready to hit Danni, who held her hands up in defense.

"Now, now." Danni chuckled nervously, "No need for the bat. It's not like I could have done anything about it."

"You could have travelled here quicker." Danni shook her head.

"Oh no, I never fly the TARDIS." She replied, "Rule 35, don't let Danni fly the TARDIS."

"What the hell is the TARDIS?" Amelia growled, "You're starting to really get on my nerves."

"Yes, well, the bat's not warming you to me either." Danni snapped back, "The TARDIS is the time machine. You know, the big blue box?" She grabbed one of the Doctor's arms, ready to pull him to the radiator, "Look, he's going to wake up soon. If you want him not to know you're Amelia, help me move him."

"How do you know I _am_ Amelia?" She asked, grabbing his over arm. Together they dragged him to the radiator.

"Because I can see the future, remember?" Danni replied, remembering how they'd explained it to the child, "Lord, you're hard work when you're young."

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor blinked slowly, coming back to the land of the living at the sound of a female voice he didn't recognise. His head hurt, that was odd. It had been years since he'd had a headache. He perked up slightly at the thought, before dismissing himself as a fool. In front of him stood a policewoman, talking into the radio pinned to her lapel.

"White male and female, both mid-20s, breaking and entering. Send me some back-up, I've got them both restrained." She turned to face them and placed a hand on her hip, "Oi, you! Sit still." she commanded.

"Welcome back online, sleepy-head." Danni added, patting him on the arm with her free hand. He groaned in pain as he tried to think back on what had happened.

"Cricket bat. I'm getting cricket bat." He muttered.

"You were breaking and entering." The policewoman replied. He suddenly tried to shoot up from the floor, falling backwards and dragging Danni to the side when he reached the end of the reach of the handcuffs. He looked down at his wrist, tugging at it slightly.

"Well, that's much better. Brand-new me, whack on the head. Just what it needed." He suddenly looked alarmed and spun to face Danni, assuming she had also been attacked, "Are you all right?" He tilted her head to try and see the back of it, "How long were you unconscious? Does it still hurt?" She pulled away.

"_I _ducked." She told him, "Seriously, she swung at us with a cricket bat, and you didn't even move. Just dropped like a sack of potatoes."

"I've just regenerated." He grumbled, "Give me some leeway. I'm not up to scratch at the moment." Danni shook her head with a smile.

"I'll say. So young, it's really odd." He leant in closer to her face, a smile tugging at his own lips as he brushed his nose against hers a couple of times, like an escimo kiss.

"And you're getting old now." He teased in a whisper, "So many years you've spent with me..."

"Do you want to shut up now?" The policewoman interupted their moment, bringing the Doctor back to the situation, "I've got back-up on the way!"

"Hang on, no, wait - you're a policewoman." The Doctor stated as if he just realised.

"And you're breaking and entering. You see how this works?" She waved her hand to illustrate.

"But what are you doing here? Where's Amelia?" He asked, his concern growing again now he was back on track. The policewoman stared back at him with a solemn face.

"Amelia Pond?" she asked.

"Yeah. Little Scottish girl. Where is she? I promised her five minutes but the engines were phasing. I suppose I must have gone a bit far. Has something happened to her?"

"Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time." She replied.

"How long?" The policewoman's eyes widened as she tried to think up a suitable lie.

"Six months." She settled on.

"No, no, no! I can't be six months late! I said five minutes. I promised." Danni shifted so she was sat cross legged.

"Don't worry, I told her we were going to be late." Danni told him. He looked down at her.

"And why didn't you tell me?" She shrugged.

"You should know by now that you're never on time." She pointed out.

"Am too!" He exclaimed, offended.

"Do I have to point out the year Rose was missing?" She replied and he pouted. The policewoman, obviously tired of the bickering, turned away and pressed the button on her radio.

"What happened to her? What happened to Amelia Pond?" He asked Danni, who smiled at him.

"It's not my story to tell." She bopped his nose, "But you're living it, so keep up."

"Sarge, it's me again." The policewoman said, "Hurry it up, they know something about Amelia Pond."

"I will say, though," Danni told him as his gaze shifted to the hidden door, "That is the fakest English accent I have ever heard, and I have watched a LOT of American telly." The Doctor frowned, realising he agreed and so he focused his attention on the woman in front of him.

"I need to speak to whoever lives in this house now." The Doctor stated urgently.

"I live here." The policewoman replied.

"But you're the police." He said, confused.

"And she has to live somewhere, sweetie." Danni told him with a sigh.

"You got a problem with that?!" The policewoman added.

"No, but..."

"Oh Lord." Danni sighed, "Let's get this moving, I wanna see Rory. How many rooms?" She asked Amelia, who blinked, having not been expecting that. Plus, how did she know about Rory.

"I'm sorry, what?" She settled on. The Doctor nodded towards the back of the hallway, where Prisoner Zero's hiding place lay.

"On this floor. How many rooms on this floor? Count them for me now." He commanded firmly.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because it will change your life."

"Five. One, two, three, four, five." She pointed along as she counted, at every door but Prisoner Zero's.

"Six." Danni corrected.

"Six?" She asked incrediously and both Danni and the Doctor nodded.

"Look." The Doctor commanded gently.

"Look where?"

"Exactly where you don't want to look. Where you never want to look, the corner of your eye. Look behind you." The policewoman turned slowly and stared, slightly scared, at the new door.

"That's... That is not possible. How's that possible?"

"There's a perception filter round the door. Sensed it the last time I was here. Should've seen it." He admitted.

"But that's a whole room. That's a whole room I've never even noticed." The woman protested. She'd lived here practically her entire life, how had she not seen it?

"The filter stops you. Something came a while ago to hide. It's still hiding. You need to uncuff us now!" The Doctor explained urgently. The policewoman began walking slowly towards the door.

"I don't have the key. I lost it." She flippantly threw back.

"How can you have lost it?! Stay away from that door!" She ignored him, continuing slowly towards the door, "Do not touch that door!" She placed hand on the doorknob, "Listen to me! Do not open that..." But she did anyway, "Why does no-one ever listen to me?" He turned to face Danni, "Do I just have a face that nobody listens to? Again...?" He began searching his pockets with his free hand, "My screwdriver, where is it?"

"I would say, with our luck and such, it'll be in there." Danni replied, motioning to the door the policewoman had just entered.

"Silver thing, blue at the end. Where did it go?" He called to her.

"There's nothing here" She called back.

"Whatever's there stopped you seeing the whole room. What makes you think you could see it?" He explained, "Now, please, just get out!"

"Silver, blue at the end?" She described.

"My screwdriver, yeah." He confirmed.

"It's here."

"Must have rolled under the door." He said in relief.

"Yeah. Must have." She paused for a moment, "And then it must have jumped up on the table..." The Doctor shared a worried look with Danni, before they both turned back to the extra door.

"Get out of there!" They both cried out, trying to get her away from Prisoner Zero, "Get out!"

"Get out of there!" The Doctor continued as he stretched as far as he could, Danni trying to manoeuvre her arm to allow him more room. Of course he couldn't reach the room, but she had to let him try. There was no reply, but also no screaming so whilst Amelia wasn't being eaten or anything, she always still wasn't leaving, "What is it? What are you doing?"

"There's nothing here, but..." the policewoman trailed off.

"Don't do it!" Danni cried, "Ignore whatever is in the corner of your eye and leave the room!"

"What is it?" Amelia asked.

"Don't try to see it. If it knows you've seen it, it will kill you. Don't look at it. Do not look." The Doctor warned, but he was too late. Her scream rang throughout the house.

"Get out!" Both he and Danni screamed, more desperately than before. This time she listened and ran out sonic screwdriver in hand, slamming the door closed behind her. She ran over to the Doctor and Danni.

"Give me that!" The Doctor snapped. He snatched the screwdriver and locked the door before trying to use it on the handcuffs. It buzzed weakly a few times but didn't do anything, "Come on. What's the bad alien done to you?" He inspected it closely. The policewoman shot him an incredulous look then looked back at the door.

"Will that door hold it?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, course! It's an inter-dimensional multi-form from outer-space - they're all terrified of wood." He replied sarcastically.

"Stop being so rude!" Danni snapped, "It's a reasonable question considering we're still attached to the radiator." They were distracted from the impending argument by a yellow light glowing from behind the door, flooding through the edges.

"What's that? What's it doing?" Amelia. asked. The Doctor looked up from rubbing the screwdriver with his finger, trying to warm it up.

"I don't know, getting dressed? Run. Just go. Your back-up's coming, we'll be fine." The Doctor commanded.

"There is no back-up." She admitted. The Doctor looked at her in surprise.

"I heard you on the radio, you called for back-up." He pointed out.

"She was pretending. It's a pretend radio." Danni explained, "She's a pretend policewoman."

"No, she can't be." He protested, looking up at Amelia, "You're a real policewoman."

"I'm a kissogram!" She exclaimed, her Scottish accent back in place. She took her hat off and chucked it away, her ginger hair cascading down her shoulders. The door suddenly broke from its hinges and fell to the floor, revealing a man in blue overalls and his pet Rottweiler. He stepped into the hallway, standing on the door.

"But it's just..." The policewoman started, trailling off. It was just what, exactly? It was _just _a slimy snake thing, now it was _just_ a man and his dog?

"No, it isn't. Look at the faces." The Doctor replied. All three watched as the man growled and barked while the dog stayed silent.

"What? I'm sorry, but what?"Amelia asked again, looking at the pair for answers, she was now completely and utterly lost.

"It's all one creature. One creature disguised as two." Danni explained. The dog and the man turned in unison to look at her.

"Clever old multi-form. A bit of a rush job, though. Got the voice a bit muddled, did you?" They turned to stare the Doctor down, "Mind you, where did you get the pattern from? You'd need a psychic link, a live feed. How did you fix that?"The man snarled at him then took two steps forward. It began baring it's teeth, huge pointed fangs that meant it had to unnaturally stretch the man's mouth.

"Stay, boy!" The Doctor commanded and the two stopped their approach, "Them and me, we're safe. Want to know why? She sent for back-up." He motioned to the officer with his head.

"I didn't send for back-up!" She protested.

"I know, that was a clever lie to save our lives. OK, yeah, NO back-up! And that's why we're safe. Alone, we're not a threat to you. If we HAD back-up, then you'd have to kill us!"

"Attention, Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded. Attention Prisoner Zero. The human residence is surrounded." A voice proclaimed from outside.

"What's that?" Amelia asked, panicking.

"That would be back-up." Danni replied with a sigh.

"OK, one more time." The Doctor tried again, "We _do_ have back-up and that's definitely why we're safe."

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." The voice outside declared.

"I wouldn't call incineration 'safe'," Danni added, "But it's all relative, I suppose." The creature turned and walked into one of the rooms off the hallway as the voice repeated it's warning to the planet below. The Doctor banged his screwdriver against the floor, pressing the buttons even though it didn't work.

"Work, work, work. C'mon." He muttered until it began buzzing. He held it against his handcuff, unlocking it and allowing Danni to pull it out the other way, both now free.

"Run." He told the officer but she didn't move. He stood up and grabbed her arm, pushing her forward, "Run!"The officer let out a yelp but began running out of the house, the Doctor grabbing Danni's hand to make sure she was following. After they were all free of the house, he zapped the door to lock Prisoner Zero in.

"Kissogram?" He declared.

"Yes a kissogram! What's going on?" The officer replied, her English accent back in place.

"Why'd you pretend to be a policewoman?" He asked as they headed towards the TARDIS.

"You broke into my house! It was this or a French maid! What's going on? Tell me! Tell me!" Amelia demanded.

"An alien convict is hiding in your spare room disguised as a man and a dog, and some other aliens are about to incinerate your house. Any questions?" The Doctor rattled off before turning to the TARDIS, trying to unlock it.

"Yes." the officer stated.

"Me too."He groaned in frustration when it didn't open, "No, no, don't do that, not now!"

"She's still rebuilding, so she's not letting us in." Danni explained to the policewoman, "Someone went all nuclear and destroyed the console room."

"Again, I was regenerating!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"I know, sweetie." She reasured him, "I was just explaining it to the human who has no idea what's going on?"

"Oh, and you do?" Amelia snapped and Danni nodded.

"Oh yeah, this one's easy." She brushed off.

"You know, you seemed less of a cow when I met you as a kid." Amelia grumbled and Danni shrugged.

"I grow on you." Was her reply, not at all offended. This Amelia had the distict difference of fancying the Doctor, whilst younger Amelia just was in awe of him. Seeing him all touchy-feely with her probably was like a kick in the gut. She'd grow out of it, and she was closer with Amy than anyone really, so it would all end up okay in the end.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." The guard continued to call.

"Come on." Amelia took action, grabbing the Doctor's arm and pulling him away from the TARDIS. He kept hold of Danni's hand, pulling her along in a line but he skidded to a stop when he caught sight of the shed behind the TARDIS.

"No, wait, hang on, wait, wait, wait. The shed."He broke out of her grip, letting go of Danni and running over to it, "I destroyed that shed last time we were here, smashed it to pieces." He muttered.

"So there's a new one. Let's go." Amelia insisted.

"But the new one's got old. It's ten years old at least." The ginger kissogram looked down at Danni in panic as the Doctor sniffed the shed, running his finger along it then licking it.

"He'll catch on in a minute." Danni murmered, "Don't panic, but it'll take a while."

"12 years." The Doctor stated over her. "I'm not six months late, I'm 12 years late." He strode over to them, staring down the kissogram. She had lied, which made her suspicious. Standing between her and Danni, he tried to tower over her, even though she had an inch or two in height over him. In the back of his mind, he was glad Danni was so small, because this body seemed to be a bit shorter than the last.

"He's coming." The woman protested weakly.

"You said six months. Why did you say six months?" He pressed angrily, "Why did you lie to me and Danni?"

"We've got to go." She tried again.

"This matters. This is important. Why did you say six months?" He demanded.

"Why did you say five minutes?!" The woman screamed and the Doctor's mouth dropped as he realised she was in fact Amelia.

"What?" He breathed, stunned.

"Come on." Amelia settled on, now back to Scottish once more. Danni smiled, that was more like it.

"What?" He repeated.

"Oh, come on!" Danni cried, grabbing his arm and dragging him off behind the two gingers.

"What?" He cried as they ran out of the back garden, the alien ship above them still broadcasting it's warning.

_~0~0~0~_

The Doctor led them up a steep village street, lined with a wall and street lamps. A biker road past, ringing his bell to signal his approach and the noise seemed to startle the Doctor out of his flight-mode as he stopped and spun to face Amelia.

"You're Amelia." He stated and she sighed, walking purposefully past him.

"You're late." She countered. Danni and the Doctor jogged slightly to catch up with her.

"Amelia Pond, you're the little girl." He continued, still shocked.

"I'm Amelia and you're late." She repeated.

"In all fairness, I did warn you." Danni pointed out and Amelia glared at the other red-head.

"12 years late!" She exclaimed, "That wasn't a warning, that was a bloody tease!"

"Well, you tell an eight year old that you're going to be a decade, see how well they react." Danni retorted.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked Amelia, looking her up and down. She'd... well, she'd grown, that was for sure. One minte little girl, next minute fake-police officer.

"12 years." She gave as an explaination.

"You hit me with a cricket bat." He exclaimed.

"12 years." She said with a disgruntled laugh.

"A cricket bat." He repeated.

"12 years and four psychiatrists." She told him. He frowned, confused.

"Four?" He asked. She looked away, slightly embarrassed for admitting that out loud. She hadn't meant to, it had slipped out.

"I kept biting them." She admitted and Danni laughed.

"That's my girl." She cheered and Amelia smiled slightly despite herself.

"Why?" The Doctor asked. Amelia stopped and looked at both of them with out a pout.

"They said you weren't real." She replied quietly. She had begun to suspect that each one of them awful adults, with their obnoxious attempts to be her friend, and their 'tell me what's wrong. I'll pretend not to tell your Aunt, but really I will' attitudes. All lies, it turned out. It seemed a general consensus that she had made them up because her parents weren't around anymore. Two magical grownups, coming to fix the things that scare her, the female with a shocking resemblance to herself? As an adult, she could see why they thought that. Hell, she'd started to believe that. She really wished that this was some sort of breakdown, but the fact that they'd left her house made her sincerely doubt it.

"Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated." The warning rang out, screeching at the end. The three looked over at the ice cream van owner who was fiddling with his speakers, trying to fix them.

"No, no, no, come on… What?" She asked, on the line between disbelief and panic, "We're being staked out by an ice-cream van?" The Doctor didn't reply, just dragged Danni over to it as Amelia followed. Why did he have to hold her hand all the time anyway?

"What's that? Why are you playing that?" The Doctor demanded, looking between the equipment and the seller.

"It's supposed to be Claire De Lune." The seller offered as he couldn't figure out why his tape player was playing the nonsense coming out of it. The Doctor picked up up and held it to his ear, listing to the recording before handing it back. He spun around once then rushed off to the side, looking around at all the people also receiving the message.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amelia demanded. Instead, he turned and ran off, hopping over a low fence into a garden. Danni grabbed Amelia's hand.

"I shall warn you now, Amelia. He always does this, and it won't ever stop. Come on." She told her gently and the pair ran around the front of the garden and up the path, meeting him in the front room, smiling widely at the old woman who was trying to turn her television over.

"Hello! Sorry to burst in, we're doing a special on television faults in this area," He glanced over at Amelia, "Also, crimes. Let's have a look." He walked over and took the remote off the lady and tried changing the channel himself. There was a giant eye being broadcast, swivelling around as if it was scanning the area.

"I was just about to phone. It's on every channel." The woman explained as she turned to face Amelia, "Hello, Amy, dear. Are you a policewoman now?" She asked confused.

"Well, sometimes." Amelia replied, running her hand through her hair, embarrassed.

"I thought you were a nurse." The woman stated, confused.

"She can be a nurse." Danni interjected, "Or a nun, or even sometimes a maid."

"I dabble." Amelia interupted with a nervous laugh, trying to stop the direction of the conversation. She didn't want to have to explain her job to the kind old lady she'd known since she'd moved her as a child.

"Amy, who are your friends?" The woman asked instead with a smile at Danni, who grinned back.

"Who's Amy? You were Amelia." The Doctor protested.

"Yeah, now I'm Amy." Amelia snapped in reply.

"Amelia Pond - that was a great name." Danni told her and she shook her head.

"Bit fairy tale." Amelia disagreed, although that's why she'd always liked it. Can't let them know, though. 12 years, they deserved to squirm.

"I know you, don't I? I've seen you somewhere before." The old woman asked the pair, turning to the Doctor.

"Not me. Brand-new face..." He pulled a face, as if it would explain everything, "First time on. And what sort of job's a kissogram?" he asked Amy, who shot him a look.

"I go to parties and I kiss people." She cleared her throat, "With outfits. It's a laugh." She defended.

"You were a little girl five minutes ago." He snapped back.

"You're worse than my aunt." She protested just as angrily.

"I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everybody's aunt." He retorted seriously. He turned to the woman, tapping her once with his screwdriver, "And that is not how I'm introducing myself." Suddenly all smiles again, he picked up an old radio and began to flash his screwdriver at it. An array of warnings began playing out of it, each changing language with each zap of the screwdriver until he stopped and it turned off. He placed the radio back where it was.

"OK, so it's everywhere, in every language. They're broadcasting to the whole world." He sped over to the window and pushed it upwards. He stuck his head out and looked up at the blue sky, searching for something.

"What's up there? What are you looking for?" Amy asked. The Doctor pulled his head back in, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"OK, planet this size, two poles, your basic molten core... They're going to need a 40% fission blast." A man walked into the house carrying a laptop case and the Doctor paced over to him, "But they'll have to power up first, won't they? So assuming a medium-sized starship, that's 20 minutes." He kept going up on his tiptoes then down as if to meet the taller man's eyeline, who was staring at him wide-eyed, "What do you think, 20 minutes? Yeah, 20 minutes. We've got 20 minutes." He declared.

"20 minutes to what?" Amy asked.

"Are you the Doctor?" The man interrupted and the old woman smiled happily.

"He is, isn't he? He's the Doctor! The Raggedy Doctor. And she's Danni-Girl. All those cartoons you did when you were little. The Raggedy Doctor and his Danni-Girl, it's them." She crowed happily, finally being able to place them both.

"Shut up." Amy whispered to her gently, but firmly. This was, without a doubt, the most cringeworthy thing that had ever happened to her. And that included the time she was de-pants in front of the whole year at secondary school. Why Mels had done that, she would never know.

"Cartoons?" He asked, still trying to work out what to do as he went to sit on the couch next to Danni, who was looking over the back at Amelia.

"You made ones of me too?" She asked, touched that she had been remembered too. Amy had always told her that she had come with the Doctor, but every time she had recalled something from her childhood she never really mentioned her. She had always assumed she had been jealous and since he had been very touchy-feely since they'd first landed this had cemented the idea Amy had just ignored her part in that night.

"Gran, it's them, isn't it? It's really them!" The man laughed.

"Jeff, shut up!" Amelia snapped then turned to the Doctor and Danni,_ "_20 minutes to what?"

"The human residence. They're not talking about your house, they're talking about the planet. Somewhere up there, there's a spaceship and it's going to incinerate the planet." Danni explained calmly.

"20 minutes to the end of the world." The Doctor confirmed, the giant eyes warning still transmitting in the background.

_~0~0~0~_

The three swiftly left Jeff and his Gran to head into town, the Doctor still looking around as if he was trying to find something he had lost. That was something that lasted throughout the regeneration, he was always late, he always misplaced something and he always forgot something important. It was adorable.

"What is this place? Where are we?" He asked suddenly.

"Leadworth." Amelia... no Amy replied. Danni shook her head slightly, she had to remember this was Amy, but having rushed from her being an 8 year old girl to a 20 year old kissogram did make it hard to differentiate, especially considering she was used to older Amy's herself. She could understand why the Doctor had a hard time separating the two sometimes.

"Where's the rest of it?" He asked.

"This is it." Amy protested, feeling a sense of injustice at the dismissal of her home. She might not like it, but everyone else had to.

"Is there an airport?" The Doctor asked.

"No." She replied with a shake of her head.

"A nuclear power station?"

"No." Amy laughed.

"Even a little one?"

"What do you think?" Danni interjected, struggling to keep up with the two's long strides. Being shorter than everyone else was such a pain sometimes.

"Nearest city?" He continued.

"Gloucester, half an hour by car." Amy replied.

"We don't have half an hour. Do we have a car?" He asked her and she shook her head again.

"No."

"Well, that's good! Fantastic, that is." He snapped sarcastically, "20 minutes to save the world and I've got a post office." He waved at it. "And it's shut! WHAT is that?" He pointed at a pool of water by the side of the road, his focus now drawn to it as he strode over.

"It's a duck pond." Amelia... Amy replied.

"Why aren't there any ducks?" He asked forcefully.

"I don't know. There's never any ducks." She explained.

"Then how do you know it's a duck pond?"

"It just is. Is it important, the duck pond?" Amel...Amy asked.

"I don't know." He spasmed as a regeneration spasm rushed through him, "Why would I know?" He sat down next to the pond, clutching his chest and panting, "This is too soon. I'm not ready, I'm not done yet." Amy looked at him, wide-eyed and concerned as Danni leant down and gave him a hug, kissing the side of his head. He clung to her as he rode the pain out.

"You relax for a minute, I know what happens next." She told him as the sky darkened. The trio looked up towards the sky.

"What's happening? Why's it going dark?" Amy asked them as the sun flickered and it went bright again, now a burning ball of fire in the sky, "So what's wrong with the sun?" She turned to Danni.

"Nothing. They've put a force-field thing up. They've sealed off the upper atmosphere, now they're getting ready to boil the planet." She explained. The Doctor pushed himself up and looked around the village green at all the people stopping and filming it on their various phones.

"Oh, and here they come, the human race. The end comes, as it was always going to - down a video phone!" He complained, rolling his eyes at them.

"This isn't real, is it? This is some kind of big wind-up." Amy asked, the gravity of what was happening hitting her and being unable to process it.

"Why would I wind you up?" The Doctor asked, sounding hurt.

"You told me you had a time machine." She explained, her hands clasped underneath her chin.

"And you believed me."

"Then I grew up."

"Oh, you never want to do that. No, hang on, shut up, wait! I missed it." He smacked his forehead as if to jolt his memory, "I saw it and I missed it." He did it again, his forehead going red, "What did I see?" Danni grabbed his hand to save his forehead from another assault and pointed over at the phone box on the other side of the green where Rory was filming Prisoner Zero, still as the man and his dog. The Doctor yelped in realisation and spun Danni around, kissing her on the lips before hugging her tightly. He looked at Amelia over her head.

"20 minutes. I can do it. 20 minutes, the planet burns. Run to your loved ones and say goodbye, or stay and help me."

"No." Ameli... Amy replied quietly. The Doctor let Danni go and stepped towards her, confused.

"I'm sorry?" he asked as if he couldn't hear her.

"No!" She cried angrily, reaching forward and grabbing his tie. He protested as she dragged him over to a car_._

"Amy! No! No! What are you doing?" She pushed him against the grey car and when the driver had stepped out she slammed his tie in the front door. She snatched the keys out of the man's hand and locked it with the fob, "Are you out of your mind?"

"Who are you?" Amy demanded.

"You know who we are." Danni replied. She looked down at her then back at the Doctor.

"No, really, who are you?" She demanded again.

"Look at the sky! End of the world, 20 minutes." The Doctor shouted.

"Better talk quickly, then!" She shouted back.

"Amy, I am going to need my car back." The driver told her timidly.

"Yes, in a bit. Now go and have coffee." She told him without looking at him.

"Right, yes." He replied slowly, walking off and leaving the wild child to it.

"Ha! I always liked you." Danni cried as she reached forward and grabbed the apple out of the Doctor's pocket, who stared at her in shock and with a pink tint to his cheeks, and tossed it at Amy, "Catch." Amy caught it turned it over slowly in her hand until a smiley face stared up at her.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a time traveller. Everything I told you 12 years ago is true. I'm real, Danni is real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go now, everything you've ever known is over." He explained urgently.

"I don't believe you." She admitted, although both could see she was starting to. He sighed and grasped her wrist with his free hand.

"Just 20 minutes. Just believe us for 20 minutes. Look at it. Fresh as the day you gave it to me. And you know it's the same one. Amy, believe for 20 minutes." She looked down at the apple again then lifted the fob up, pressed the button and unlocked the car.

"What do we do?"

"Stop that nurse!"

_~0~0~0~_

_Next chapter is Rory :) Who doesn't love a bit of Rory, eh?_

_This story has hit 200 reviews, and it's not even 20 chapters in! I mean, wow! Thank you all so very, very very much! I can't believe it, you're all so kind and I thank you for every word you give and the time you take to read this :)_

_Er... Yeah, I don't have much to say again :) see you Friday my lovelies xxxxx_


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